THE VILLAGE

New England, late 19th century: a small rural community lives in a sunny valley surrounded by the Appalachian Mountains and completely isolated from the rest of the world. This situation is determined by the presence in the forests surrounding the valley of non-human beings, called "the unnamable creatures" by the village elders, whose most important members are Edward Walker (William Hurt) and Alice (Sigourney Weaver). They are tasked with administering the village, being also the guardians of the "truce" agreed upon long ago between humans and these creatures to live in peace by sharing the territory. The rules of coexistence for humans are three: 1) Do not go into the forest (territory of the creatures); 2) Hide the "forbidden color" that attracts the creatures (red, never mentioned in the film); 3) At the sound of the bell, everyone must enter the house and barricade themselves. A kind of border delimits the two territories, marked by red and yellow flags (color reserved for humans) with a no man's land in the middle, continuously monitored by a tower with a bell to signal any possible trespassing of the creatures into the valley, an eventuality that occurs very rarely since the agreement has held without problems so far, and some young people even play at provoking the creatures' reaction at the border… One day, an event disrupts the apparent tranquility of the valley: some domestic animals are found skinned. Perhaps the non-aggression pact between humans and unnamable creatures has been broken? This is the opening of M. Night Shyamalan's latest film, known mainly for the previous "The Sixth Sense," a great success that made him famous to the public. This film is probably superior to the previous one, although it did not achieve the same box office earnings. The young (born August 6, 1970) and promising Indian director but transplanted to the city of brotherly love (Philadelphia) obtained for this last work, in addition to direction, the credits of the screenplay and therefore the film was rightly presented in the States as "M. Night Shyamalan's The Village." Certainly, the film is presented as a horror (as can be inferred from the beginning of the plot reported here) but the last minutes of the film reserve big surprises for the viewer, revealing something very different, almost a "political" feature film as it has been interpreted by more than one: a kind of metaphor of American society prey to its fears regarding what surrounds it in the rest of the world… Without seeking too many references to the global geopolitical situation, it can be said that the film addresses themes dear to Shyamalan: what is fear? If it is not named, is it erased? Can one coexist with it as if nothing were the case by taking refuge in a "private" world where everything seems perfect and everyone seems happy? These questions are linked to the presence, in the home of each Elder, of a black box locked with a key that must never be opened: a secret from a past that must remain hidden but is hanging like a sword of Damocles over the apparent tranquility of each day (in fact, these boxes have a "place of honor" in the homes of the Elders). It is precisely the opening of these boxes that will provide the viewer with the unexpected solution to the story, revealing the truth long hidden by the Elders from the young people of the village to preserve them from evil… Merit note is the design of the Unnamable Creatures, extremely appropriate and "black fairy tale," as is the choice to always frame them in long shot slightly blurred with humans in the foreground (at least until the end when their true nature is revealed…). Worthy of note is also the solution of the "double ending" put forward by Shyamalan: when the story seems to have been clarified, the sudden appearance of the Creature cloaked in red gives the viewer an unexpected peak of tension. Certainly, this choice, like others, confirms the great ability of Shaymalan in direction, already appreciated in other of his previous works. Regarding the interpretation, excellent as always the "veterans" Weaver and Hurt, but the semi-unknown actors playing the "young" are not far behind, with the blind daughter of Walker, Ivy (Bryce Dallas Howard, daughter of famous director Ron Howard, former star of "Happy Days"), the true protagonist of the film who embarks on a symbolic journey aimed at confronting the heart of her own fears. In conclusion, "The Village" is certainly one of the best cinematic offerings of the 2004 season, undoubtedly it deserves the money spent at the cinema and probably also that for the upcoming DVD release (if it has the right extras… even to understand from the director's commentary if the political readings of the film are justified or not).