Criminally Underrated Film

Rating: 9/10 (3 February 2020)

This is the story of a small village, isolated in the woods before the advent of indoor plumbing or electricity. The story is somewhat centralized on the Walker family. The eldest daughter is played magnificently by Bryce Dallas Howard. She is blind and has an undying love for Lucius Hunt, played by the unequaled Jaoquin Phoenix, who refuses to acknowledge the mutual attraction. He had just denied the advances of the other Walker daughter, Kitty. Lucius is not the only gentleman that would have her though as there is a mentally deficient fellow named Noah Percy played by Adrien Brody with his usual excellence, who has desires for Ivy (BDH). The village seems to be idyllic in every aspect, but soon we find out that the color red in bad, as it attract and angers a race of creatures that dwell in the woods surrounding the village, called "those we do not speak of". The village elders had come to a peace accord with the creatures, but soon they start to find slaughtered animals within the village boundaries, making some fear that those we do not speak of (twdnso) have broken the accord. Life goes on, as it does and Lucius and Ivy announce they plan on wedding. In a rage Noah stabs Lucius. Against the will of the elder council, Edward Walker dispatches his blind daughter on a trip through the creature filled woods to another village nearby to get medicines to save Lucius. Will she succeed or will twdnso kill her before she can save her love?
This movie has one of the best casts ever assembled and this is in turn a great movie. I do not know where all the hate comes from. It is slightly more predictable than other works by M. Night, but it is still a great and solid entry by the man.