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REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP
Our rating: 4 out of 5 Because of: frightening sequences, thematic elements Rated:
There are few directors as creatively talented as M. Night Shyamalan, responsible for some of the most unique films of the past decade. His most recent work is nothing like its predecessors. There are no ghosts or super heroes, no alien invasions or quiet villages. It is a fairy tale, a piece of modern folklore, with surprising insights into human nature and our purpose in life.
Life is pretty normal in the small apartment complex where Cleveland Heep (Paul Giamatti) studiously acts as janitor. His job is not that difficult and he is liked among the inhabitants, who range from the quiet and mysterious to the outspoken and ambitious. There are the boys upstairs who do nothing but scheme the existence of new words over a joint. The Asian girl and her mother who constantly argue. The woman who rescues animals and has more than her fair share of house pets. Even an aspiring novelist and a man whose only passion is the crossword puzzle. But something odd has been happening. Over the past few nights there have been splashes in the pool. Cleveland's attempt to discern who is responsible finds him in peril when he nearly drowns. Coming around in his apartment, he is surprised to find a young woman (Bryce Dallas Howard) watching him.
Most of the film is quiet but never feels slow, and while some of the out of focus shots were tiresome in the early moments, the steady build to a powerful climax made it worthwhile. There is certainly symbolism present, strains of fantasy and eastern folklore wound intricately into a plot as much about its characters as its purpose. There are many moments in which the audience is reached on an emotional level, whether a key has unlocked one of their secret hopes and dreams or they too have experienced the loss of a loved one. There is not much to dissuade families either, for there's barely a handful of profanities and the camera never lingers on Story's unclad form. She wears a long shirt or a modest towel throughout most of the film. Some scenes with an enormous wolf-like creature might frighten small children. It is implied he kills someone, and brutally wounds another, before other fairy-tale monsters drag him to his death.
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THE
LADY IN THE WATER
"Story,"
as she is called, has come to inspire someone to make a difference in the
world. Recognizing a word uttered in her sleep, Cleveland begins to
unravel the legend behind her existence, that of messengers from another
world sent to reach out to humanity in its greatest hour of need. Her
purpose is clear, but her return to the far lands endangered through an
evil creature willing to break all the laws of their world in order to
stop her. Through her presence, Cleveland comes to realize all human
beings have a purpose, and no one was there by accident. To me, one of the
most meaningful but simple truths of the film is that though we might feel
abandoned, there is a reason for our life. We might think that we are
worth nothing, but God allows us to live for a reason.
A film like this is difficult to condense into a single world. Arguably, it is either going to be loved or hated by its audience, for it seems that when it comes to
Shyamalan, there is no middle ground. I found it to be an enthralling, beautifully scripted and deeply touching film at whose core is the message that every human being, no matter how insignificant they feel, have an ultimate purpose, and that our actions cause ripples in the years to come. Tears came to my eyes at the meaningful moments shared between Cleveland and Story, both over the personal loss he had suffered, and when he came to see his value after overcoming
disappointment that he was not who she initially believed he was (turns out, he was something much better!).