A haunting parable of modern life

Rating: 7/10 (21 January 2008)

The twist- a sudden, unexpected development- is a common plot device in the modern cinema, especially in thrillers. Unfortunately for scriptwriters, most of the classic twists have been so over-used that they no longer come as a surprise to the audience. It no longer seems original to reveal that, for example, the hero's girl or best friend is really in league with the villains, or that a police officer investigating a crime is in fact responsible for committing it, or that a character believed to be dead is still very much alive.
Of course, the fact that a particular twist is so hackneyed as to have become a cliché does not prevent film-makers from continuing to rely upon it- "Reindeer Games" and "Along Came a Spider" are two examples of modern thrillers likely to leave audiences with a "seen it all before" feeling. The challenge to the really inventive scriptwriter is now to come up with as novel a twist as possible. "The Village" is a good example.
The film is set in a rural village in Pennsylvania, situated in a valley surrounded by dense forests. At first we are led to believe that the date is 1897. It soon becomes clear that this is no ordinary village. It has the air of a religious commune, although the precise nature of the villagers' beliefs is not made clear. The community is governed by Elders, who lay down strict rules. The villagers are forbidden to set foot outside the valley. The neighbouring towns are regarded as places of sin and corruption, while the surrounding woods are the haunt of mysterious beings referred to only as "Those We Do Not Speak Of". For a long time we do not see these beings, and it is left unclear as to whether they are humans, or animals, or some form of supernatural entities. The colour red is forbidden because it is associated with these creatures; the favoured colour is yellow, referred to as the "safe colour".
The plot seems a fairly simple one- as another reviewer has pointed out it resembles something from Thomas Hardy. A young man, Lucius, and a blind girl, Ivy, are in love, but their love arouses the jealousy of Noah, the village simpleton, who is in love with Ivy himself. Noah stabs Lucius in a jealous rage, seriously injuring him. The wound becomes infected, and Ivy begs the Elders to be allowed to travel into the nearest town to obtain the medicines which might save his life. They agree, reasoning that as Ivy is blind she will not be able to see the temptations of urban life and is therefore less likely to be corrupted by them.
Then comes the twist. For the first time we realise that the film is set not in the 1890s but in the twenty-first century. The community has been set up by the Elders as a refuge from what they see as a crime-ridden society. (Several of them have themselves been victims of violent crime). Ivy's wealthy father Edward was the leading light in this scheme, and the man responsible for financing it. They have retreated into an imagined past, denying the members of the community the benefits not only of twentieth and twenty-first century technology, but also of many inventions (such as cars and telephones) which actually existed in 1897, the year in which the villagers believe they are living. "Those We Do Not Speak Of" are imaginary beings, invented by the Elders to deter the younger members of the community from setting foot in the woods which separate the village from the nearest town.
In this context of the film, the twist comes as an unexpected one, but, on reflection, the situation is perhaps not as bizarre or outlandish as it might appear at first sight. There are parallels between the village and real-life religious communities such as the Amish or Mennonites which forbid their members to use modern technology. The difference, of course, is that the village Elders take the principle one stage further by attempting to deceive their members about the true nature of the modern world they are rejecting, something that the real-life communities would not do. There may also be parallels with the modern phenomenon of the "gated community", another attempt by the select few to shut themselves away from the perceived violence of modern society. Some have even seem parallels with American foreign policy.
None of the acting performances are particularly noteworthy, except possibly that from Bryce Dallas Howard (daughter of Ron) as the blind Ivy. What is, however, noteworthy is the way in which director M. Night Shyamalan is able to conjure up an atmosphere of dread and foreboding. The look of the film is based upon the works of the artist Andrew Wyeth, although Shyamalan's palette, dominated by warm yellow and orange tones, is rather richer than Wyeth's. (Much of the film was shot near the artist's home town of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania). Despite the warm colours and the beauty of the rural landscapes, however, the village always has an eerie, haunted air about it.
"The Village" is sometimes described as a horror film or as a thriller, but neither description really seems adequate, as it is a difficult film to fit neatly into any one genre. Perhaps the best description would be as a haunting parable about modern life and the dangers of nostalgia. The irony of the film is that Lucius falls victim to the violence which the Elders are trying to escape; the only difference made by their retreat into the past is that he is denied the modern medicines which might have saved his life. 7/10