Very suspenseful, great performances, effective atmosphere--but the timing is way off. *** (out of fur)

Rating: 8/10 (5 September 2001)

THE OTHERS / (2001) *** (out of four)
By Blake French:
It must be difficult making a movie like "The Others," when the entire plot is based on one final twist. The filmmakers know what that twist is, and it's probably tough keeping it a secret. Take "The Sixth Sense," "The Game," or "Fight Club," for instance. The actors know they are playing character's with a special surprise in store for them, but their characters don't. The performances must stay true to the story after the final twist is revealed, but must not foreshadow what is in store for us in the final scenes.
"The Others" has another one of those endings that makes you want to see the movie again just to see if everything adds up correctly. Unfortunately, most people won't have the patience to sit through it for a second time. The film, directed, composed, and written by Spanish filmmaker Alejandro Amendabar, contains a convincing atmosphere and knows how to build tension the audience can cut with a knife, but the timing is off. It makes us wait way too long for something to happen that will relieve the fog-thick suspense.	The film takes place on the secluded Isle of Jersey in the final days of World War II, where a young woman awaits the return of her husband who went to war when his country needed him. Nicole Kidman plays this quiet, subtle woman, named Grace, who spends her days and night taking care of her children (James Bentley and Alakina Mann) in her gorgeous Victorian mansion. She hires a new trio of house servants to replace the crew who mysteriously disappeared. Then strange things begin to happen. Grace's daughter explains that she has been communicating with an unseen boy. At first, Grace does not believe her child, but when Grace herself starts to hear strange noises, and witness unusual events, she also questions the possibility of an intruder inside her home.
"The Others" lingers for a long time. It does get under our skin and create a strong, spooky mood, similar to that of the old-fashioned haunted house movies. The film makes us believe we are in a dark, lonely house, and that someone, or something, may be inside with us. Nicole Kidman's performance is contagious. She infects the audience with Grace's fear and suspicion. Easily one of the year's best performances, Kidman stirs the terror with a gripping, uneasy edge. The supporting actors do not steal the scenes from Kidman, she deserves the focus, but they still give her enough material to react to.
It's too bad that more doesn't happen in the movie. "The Others" eventually becomes redundant-it's scene after scene of Grace walking through dark rooms and closing the blinds to her house-her children are allergic to the light (a plot element that doesn't contribute much to the story). The film also stumbles when a specific character enters the picture-the event is highly anticipated, but the movie doesn't know what to do when it happens. It's worth seeing because of the final revelation, the spookiness of the atmosphere, and the performance by Kidman. Alejandro Amendabar must think that with a story like this, the less you reveal, the more suspenseful it is. "The Others" proves a different theory: less is not more-more is more.