Forget the twist, it's a love story.

Rating: Null/10 (9 August 2004)

My verdict on last night's UK preview of The Village and M. Night Shyamalan's post-screening talk?: A moving love story. A masterful piece of ensemble acting. Beautiful & moody cinematography (how did he manage to steal Roger Deakins from the Coen brothers for long enough?). Great tension and emotion, with just a few hints to let you know there's something else not quite right (apart from "those we must not mention", that is).
The film has superb acting. Edward Walker (Hurt), Lucien (Pheonix) and Noah (Brody) are first-class performances but the relative newcomer, Bryce Dallas Howard, is the real star, as Ivy.
Wonder why Sigourney Weaver got good billing but only a support role? Answering our audience questions, Night hinted this was an homage to Alien where the established actors set the scene but, with a sudden change of direction, it was the relatively-new Weaver who stole the show. After Kirsten Dunst declined, Night gave Howard the role without an audition, and knew she'd steal it.
How did he get such a tight ensemble cast? Well, having the 14 principle players arrive 3-weeks before shooting to live on set in those Pennsylvanian woods did a great deal for their bonding. It wasn't just the American History and Utopian Society lecturers who helped them to develop the mind-set. While they were there, the tragic events of 9/11, including the crashing of the jet in other nearby woods, brought-home the attractiveness of living in an isolated enclave versus the evils of our modern world.
At the film's centre though, is a tender love story. Inspired by the awkward, slow, and largely unspoken, love in Wuthering Heights (which he ultimately turned down) Night directs a tender piece with 17 great 'touchstone' moments. If you miss 16 of them waiting for the twist, you'll miss a great film.
So frustrated is he that people just watch his films for the twist and miss the other good stuff, Night seriously considered starting the film with the reveal scene  on the road  immediately after the titles, and doing the rest in flashback. He said he wanted to say 'OK. You've spotted the twist, now just watch the friggin' film!'
So don't get hung up on the watching whole film just for his cameo or trying to spot the twist, ("playing chess with me" as Night himself says). Unlike Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, the deception is not of the audience, but of the characters. That's not a twist in the plot - it IS the plot, and the context in which this fine drama is set.