The mystery presented is allowed to unfold with grace and dignity through the quiet dialogue of the actors and through various, very commonplace venues. I enjoyed watching this movie for its storytelling virtuosity. On the other hand, the movie does force you to suspend your disbelief at various moments. Still, I found myself slipping now and then into MST-3K mode as the film's flow slipped from time to time revealing what could be seen as overacting, silly plot points, and bits of gratuitous artsy fodder. One irritating thing about the movie is that Shyamalan tries to keep an air of mystery about the entire first half.
Characters speak in hushed whispers or in the low tones of speaking in confidence.
Sometimes a scene would take so long to play out, I wanted to leap through the screen and start slapping people about so that they'd get a faster clue. Remembering that the movie is trying to tell its story in an unusual way helps to put these devices back into context. In short, in the right frame of mind, or wrong one, depending on your point of view, this could easily become a very funny bad movie with a hysterical exclamation point. For those people, my sister and I have generated a drive-in list to add to your viewing pleasure. Whether you are in either frame of mind, you will find the last 30 seconds of the movie either very disappointing or hysterically stupid.