A Classic

Rating: 10/10 (28 April 2008)

"The Sixth Sense" (1999) is generally regarded as a ghost story and that is what it seems to be during the first viewing. There is also an obvious subtext about the nature of our fears as well as themes concerning courage and communication; elements often incorporated into the genre. Most viewers will be conscious of this stuff during the first viewing but will mostly be focused on sorting out the story and processing the intriguing conclusion.
But with subsequent viewing(s) the fear factor diminishes and you become aware that this is not a ghost story so much as it is a film about grief; particularly the grief than comes from regret. With this realization comes the awareness that the real power of the film comes from a viewer's subconscious connection with this underlying theme. The object of the film is far more than just giving the audience a scare although it does a first-class job of doing just that. It can also alter your perception of the process of both living and dying.
The spirits that seek out young Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) do so because there is something they regret doing or not doing during their lives; something that will ease the grief of their passing (for both them and their loved ones). You have Krya's little sister asking Cole if Krya will come back and Cole answering "not anymore", after he has helped Krya.
And then you have the grieving Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) and his grieving wife Anna (Olivia Williams): "Once upon a time there was this person named Malcolm. He worked with children. He loved it. He loved it more than anything else. And then one night, he found out that he made a mistake with one of them. He couldn't help that one. And he can't stop thinking about it, he can't forget. Ever since then, things have been different. He's not the same person that he used to be. And his wife doesn't like the person that he's become. They barely speak anymore, they're like strangers. And then one day Malcolm meets this wonderful little boy, a really cool little boy. Reminds him a lot of the other one. And Malcolm decides to try and help this new boy. 'Cause he feels that if he can help this new boy, it would be like helping that other one too."
The climatic scene in the car between Cole and his mother (Toni Collette) ranks up with cinema's all-time best.
Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.