Does It Take A Whole Village To Raise Expectations?

Rating: Null/10 (27 August 2004)

This is a film which is likely to divide audiences even more strongly than the forth coming US Presidential election. What divides the two camps may not be so much to do with the quality of the film, but of the expectations they bring to the cinema with them. Unfortunately the publicity machine for this movie, over which the director may have limited influence, has decided to promote it as a conventional horror movie. Understandably those who have settled back in their seats and prepared for two hours bloodcurdling mayhem are likely to be somewhat disappointed to find that love is, at least, as important an element as fear in this story. The story concerns a village of American pioneers who live lives of simple purity and moral virtue, where the word of the village elders is respected and where a sense of community is prized above all. However this pastoral idyll is an oasis of civilization surrounded by a ring of dark forest in which lurk a dangerous and sinister threat to their continued existence, 'those who cannot be named'. When the tale begins there appears to be an understanding between the two groups; the settlers will not stray into the woods and the creatures will not venture into the village clearing. However this cosy equilibrium is about to be seriously challenged. The cast is packed to the hand tooled rafters with the great and the good of American cinema and it is genuinely refreshing to see stars of the caliber of Sigourney Weaver, William Hurt and Adrien Brody taking parts in what is essential an ensemble piece, rather than a traditional star vehicle. Having said that there are two roles which do stand proud of the pack, those of Lucius Hunt and Ivy Walker taken by Joaquin Phoenix and Bryce Dallas Howard. Joaquin is not one of my favourite actors. Although his 'debut' in To Die For promised so much, for me, very little of that has subsequently been realized. I thought his performances particularly in Gladiator and Quills were heavy handed and unconvincing. Perhaps it was the fact that Lucius is a far more quiet and thoughtful individual, but his performance here came far closer to my initially expectations and he seemed to imbue the character with a profundity often missing from his previous performances. However the run away star of this film is without doubt Bryce Dallas Howard, daughter of Oscar winning director and carrot-topped Happy Days square, Ron. Her performance as a girl who is at once bright, funny, caring and blind is astonishingly convincing. So often actors called upon to portray a disability get so lost in the technicalities that they ignore the true character of the person, but Bryce gives us the full package with astonishing economy. The plot moves, not so much slowly, as carefully, the pressure and mystery building steadily and delivering in time both a swerve and a twist. The first is beautiful executed and is a moment of cinema which will stay with you long after the novelty of the secondary twist has been picked apart and discarded. If you have not seen The Village I would urge you to go, but leave your preconceptions with your ticket stub at the door. This is a film which defies simple genre definitions, so open your mind as wide as your eyes and prepare to be told an extraordinary story.