Surprising, interesting, subtle character acting.

Rating: 7/10 (24 August 2004)

Lucius (Phoenix) is the shy yet brave blacksmith in The Village, a place trapped by the presence of mysterious creatures in the woods which surround it. The creatures, against which the villagers must always be vigilant, will accept no incursion into their woods. This state of affairs manages both to protect the villagers from the outside world and make their lives within the village slightly more precarious. The only wrinkle in their perfect, crime free existence is the end of the medical supplies from the 'Towns' outside the woods. When a young child's life could have been saved by these medical supplies Lucius decides the time has come to brave the creatures wrath and enter the forest. But will his actions mean the end of the villages' existence in more ways than one?
This is an interesting film, which tries to tackle the serious issue of fear as a control and trust in community leadership. How do we create a better world for our children? Serious questions but this film also has a sense of humour.
The villagers all seem to make an effort to speak in a forced frontier version of American English. It is not clear whether this is poorly written dialogue or an intentional jarring to make you realize that there is something unnatural about the villagers and their cut-off way of life.
The romance between Phoenix and Howard is the most absorbing part of the film; it is a real pleasure to watch the quiet Lucius and Tom-boy Ivy developing their relationship and eventually their actions lead to the films finale. Phoenix seems to have cornered the market on vulnerable insecure men emerging as leaders and Howard is just wonderful as the strong and independent Ivy.
Some scenes don't reach the intensity the director was aiming for, but still the sentiment behind them is obvious. I found myself having to actively force my suspension of disbelief on some points, and the film could quite easily become unintentionally funny if you let it, this is especially so of our first sight of the creatures. If you go expecting a pioneer version of Predator or Alien you will probably be disappointed, but if you go looking for a gentle drama, well acted with a few boo scares along the way and some subtle insights into society you will enjoy this film.
If you liked The Others, Cold Mountain or Signs this film is for you.