Accommodating the afterlife.

Rating: 8/10 (10 April 2006)

Set in England after WW2, Grace and her two children, Anne and Nicholas live in a rather isolated mansion waiting for their husband/father to return from the war, but I they haven't heard from him since leaving. To make matters even more worst their housekeepers have just got up and left without any notice and the kids suffer from an illness were sunlight could cause them to badly, blister up. But suddenly three mysterious servants show up to work there and that's when strange occurrences start happening with the kids claiming that they're not alone in the house, but the uneasy Grace doesn't want to hear about it, that's until she becomes aware of the strange forces at work.
The sudden interest in subtle, supernatural horror flicks can be attributed a lot to M. Night Shyamalan's film; 'The Sixth Sense (1999)'. This is my second viewing of it and I might be going against the grain, but I say this film is more emotionally engaging with such penetrating atmosphere and flawless performances compared with M. Night's mixed bag. 'The Others' is an intelligently stylish, sophisticated slow burner that plays on the little things to work up the increasing intensity that slowly strangles you with its grinding atmospheric air. Director Alejandro Amenabar manages to create a rich atmosphere from the shadowy grand exterior of the house to the blanket of mist that smothers the lush surroundings of the estate. But what impressed me most was the confident and sensitively in depth performances he got out of the small cast. Nicole Kidman raises the bar with an extraordinary performance as the rigidly, fearful mother. The two kids Alakina Mann and James Bentley are convincingly good. Then you got remarkable supporting roles from Fionnula Flanagan, Eric Sykes and Elaine Cassidy. Christopher Eccleston makes a small appearance too. The story sticks close to the traditional, Gothic haunted house tale with the usual set-up with dead silence making way for sudden noises, poorly lit rooms, things going bump, fake scares and so on. But what made these things such a breath of fresh air is how director Amenabar had total control of his vision with precise timing to milk out its bold, suggestive thrills, which will totally put you on the edge just like that of Kidman's brittle character. The atmosphere ventures into a dreamlike realm but still keeping a steady foot in reality. While, in the imposing Gothic mansion the darkness fills every space with it creaking with isolation and tightly knitted quarters. These striking visuals and set-pieces are gorgeously shot with such skill and a good eye for detail. A powerfully streamlined score is generally enchantingly and when it strives for creepy scares it does so in an exhaustingly tense tone. The elegant plot illustrates an very intriguing mystery tale that's psychologically demanding with secrets crossing your path and many cryptic hints to what may happen. The film's major revelation might not be a huge surprise for some, but I for one didn't think it was that easy to pick up on.
A chillingly subtle, but astoundingly effective suspense drama that pushes you to the brink with assured direction and very first-rate performances.