Intelligently Gothic

Rating: 8/10 (19 August 2001)

Those who see "The Others" with the intent to be scared witless by figures leaping suddenly out of dark corners or by axe-wielding maniacs are in for a big disappointment. This film is much smarter than that. It is quietly moody--the anxiety level is almost subliminal, and for that reason all the more compelling. Nicole Kidman, looking eeriely like a reincarnated Grace Kelly, carries the film as the increasingly distraught mother of two precocious but mysteriously odd children, flanked by three kindly but equally unusual servants. The film opens with Kidman awakening early one morning with a blood-curdling scream--a primal scream that seems just barely sustained at the base of her throat for the rest of the film. She is at once icy and nurturing, in a bravura yet understated performance that I can only compare to (and I am honestly sorry to do this) Bruce Willis in "The Sixth Sense". Kidman proves, if nothing else, that she is an accomplished actor who is in complete control of her craft. The children are also excellent--the film wouldn't work if they were not. Nevermind if you guess the outcome of the film in advance, as did I--the ending is still fully satisfying and chillingly thought-provoking. Beautifully photographed.