A pseudo-horror flick with philosophical underpinnings?

Rating: 8/10 (31 July 2004)

Without revealing too much, ladies and gentlemen, I must say that having just come from the theater I am astounded at the intricacy and intelligence of this film. Let me first of all state for the record that I am not a Shyamalan apostle--I very much enjoyed The Sixth Sense, but his other films (Unbreakable and Signs) I thought of much less quality. This film redeems him in my opinion as one of the more intelligent film makers in Hollywood today.
There are numerous themes and metaphors (some which tremble on the threshold of being cliché, but are worked in skillfully enough by the director not to cross that line) used in the film and it would require a larger space to cover all of them. Suffice it to cover three major themes Shyamalan hits on: the state of nature, alienation and modernity, and love.
Of the first, Shyamalan seems to take a page from Rousseau in his presentation of this idyllic village of closely knit people in the sense that this film captures the classically liberal theme of man's natural benevolence. Yet, this natural benevolence is contrasted with the corrupting nature of 'society' on individual human beings--forcing them into the exile we see in The Village. What Rousseau wrote about the advantages of a small republic like Geneva, for instance, are at work in the bucolic 18th century beauty of the Village. Yet, the appreciation of the lifestyle of Geneva was only appreciated by Rousseau because of his experience with the cruelties of another world--just as it is with the Elders of the Village. Yet, Shyamalan doesn't entirely embrace Rousseau, and through Brody's character (a brilliant performance by Brody, by the way) explores the possibility of evil coupled with the natural benevolence of man. In the midst of this pastoral little village, there is a philosophical quest to understand evil--both the perceived external evil of The Ones, and the internal conflicts of men.
Yet, the idealism and innocence of the Village is suddenly broken in the course of Shyamalan's work by The Ones. The Village was only kept innocent by the presence of a fear they dared not challenge, and yet are they better off living in the innocence of the village then in "the forest"? The distinctive themes of more modern philosophy are echoed in the issues of fear and the alienation that drive the Elders to their Village, themes touched on in Kierkegaard extensively. Likewise, the Elders find faith and hope for the future, and find strength in one girl's idealistic love--the love they have ever fought to keep innocent.
At its heart, The Village is not a horror movie--though it has its creepy moments that are done with great taste. It is rather a love story, and its hero is a Homeric blind girl who sees more than those with vision in her town. Her journey toward love, which Shyamalan applies as a vehicle for Enlightenment, begins with wide-eyed idealism. Yet, the end of that journey offers no easy solutions. If by the end of this film you think you have a happy ending, you've missed the coming-of-age questions raised by this film.
Shyamalan has produced a movie that was sold as a horror movie, but it is so much more. People's views of this movie are likely to be wildly divergent, as those who are seeking a scary movie or who believe this is a movie only about surprise endings are bound to be disappointed. But for those who are searching for an intelligent movie about the nature of man, love, and enlightenment, you will not be disappointed. You will be delighted by the philosophic intrigue of this movie, and the brilliance of the acting (although, some of the writing is too contrived in places, that we can forgive).