Spoilers! A riddle wrapped up in an enigma wrapped in an O.K. movie

Rating: 7/10 (4 August 2004)

The current mind-blower of American cinema is at it again. M. Night Shyamalan has carefully crafted another interesting exercise for the viewer.

I say exercise because this film lacks the heart present in Shyamalan's earlier works "The Sixth Sense" or "Signs".
I might as well get the spoiling out of the way now because in order to move on to the themes of the film it is required. The story of the film is a sham within a sham. The residents of a 19th century "village" are actually hostages of a group of crazed or fanatical neo-puritans who call themselves the "elders".
These elders keep control over their totalitarian mini society through the use of clever manipulation and propaganda techniques. They have convinced all the other residents of the town that to leave the borders of the town is certain death at the hands of some mythical or supernatural creatures. They even portray these creatures using elaborate costumes in order to frighten the younger residents into submission. Their goal is to isolate and control the environment in order to separate the residents from what they see as a evil modern world.
The next level of sham is that this "19th century" town isn't simply isolated from their industrial revolution age peers. They are actually a living, breathing human time-capsule existing within a huge nature preserve in the present day. The preserve was set up by the billionaire relative of William Hurt's character, who is a university professor. The whole thing started when a grieving Hurt comes up with the bright idea that the elders, all members of a "relatives of victims of violence" support group should start their sham society. I know, I know...it sounds contrived and it is. But the method to this madness is effective and eerie. I enjoyed the superb cinematography and good performances by Brodie, Phoenix, Weaver and Hurt. The dialogue must have been a chore to deliver and they do a passable job of keeping straight, even earnest expressions on their faces.

I'll pretty much see anything M. Night makes because it is never boring. I much prefer "The Sixth Sense", "Unbreakable", and "Signs" to this film. The end is either reassuring or horrible depending on whether you like faux-19th century totalitarian brainwashing or not.