The Reality of Unreality

Rating: Null/10 (29 June 2001)

In a decade of movies created by the marketing department and featuring vapid romances and action for action's sake, M. Night Shyamalan is an uncompromising director. He settles for nothing less than exploring the nature of reality, yet makes his films enjoyable for those who might usually avoid such heavy discussion.
While unrelated to "Sixth Sense," Shyamalan's latest effort, "Unbreakable," continues the theme begun in that earlier film. Shyamalan is asking "How are we really living our lives?" I can't reveal much about the plot, so let it suffice that it involves a spectacular event that brings together two unspectacular people. One is revealed to be something extraordinary, resulting in the ruin of one person and the redemption of the other. This is done in typical Shyamalan fashion. A surrealness permeates the picture, even in its depiction of mundane events; and the twist ending, while you may see it coming, is no less of a surprise.
The film is driven by fine performances from Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson, as the two people whose lives are entwined whether they wish it or not. Despite complaints of one-noteness, their low-key performances do much to convey another Shyamalan theme: the alienation that he believes a person feels before discovering meaning in life. Both characters are alienated for this very reason and both find meaning, but not in any expected way.
Supporting performances are generally good, though one misses the powerful presence of Haley Joel Osment. Shyamalan's direction is not as tight as in "Sixth Sense," but his use of single-camera shots and colors that change with the characters adds both to the reality and unreality of this picture.
In "Unbreakable," Shyamalan is asking questions that many directors in this postindustrial society seem to be asking. Films such as "Dark City," "The Matrix" and Shyamalan's work are really exploring the place of humanity in an increasingly electronic world. As I say, I can't reveal much of what actually happens in this picture, but it's well worth the rental.