The Summer of Shyamalan: The Village (2004)

Patrick and Taylor are holding the bad color.

Patrick: Taylor, you chose The Village for our latest edition of Summer of Shyamalan. What inspired that choice?

Taylor: I didn’t want this series to be full of too many rewatches, and The Village is one of his movies that had just knew nothing about. While I hadn’t seen The Sixth Sense, I still had 20 years of hearing about it.

Patrick: So where does it stand for you in his filmography? I couldn’t believe how much I was into it…

Taylor: No one is going to believe me, but once I saw that it was set in the 1800s…I knew the twist. There is another movie that came out a few years ago, which I won’t name in case someone hasn’t seen it, with the same twist. Had I never seen that movie, I don’t know if I would have ever expected it here. So, because of that, I felt a bit like I was just waiting for the twist to happen - which I hate doing! Hard to say where it stands for me without rewatching Signs, but I’d say it's probably somewhere in the middle.

Patrick: Spoiler warning. Early on, you said, “I have a question about this weird little commune,” and I said “WhaT dO yOU mEAN??? tHis iS sEt iN tHE 1800s!!!” And you pretty clearly didn’t believe me. That twist (I hate to boil all of M. Night films down to the twist, but sorry, man - you do it yourself!) infuriated me the first time I watched this movie. Knowing that it was coming this time, I was able to just enjoy the vibes and mood. I would have loved a version of this movie where it was all real!

Taylor: I could tell you were being protective over something, so I chose not to spoil your fun by saying, “The twist is the same twist as ______, huh?” I’m glad I didn't do that and that you enjoyed yourself! I can actually see how, if this was a rewatch, it would be fun to focus on how it is they’ve built this world and how it is or isn’t successful. 

Patrick: You’ve got a ton of people working at the top of their game to make this atmosphere totally spooky. The great cinematographer Roger Deakins creates this utopia that looks so beautiful, perfectly contrasting the fear that lives there. James Newton Howard’s score is haunting and was justifiably nominated for the Oscar. And the deep bench of performances! I’m sure we will talk about them in a second. It’s just M. Night getting in his own way…again…

Taylor: I genuinely wish that I was able to watch it without getting in my own way expecting the twist. But it still has its issues, and they are almost all Shyamalan! His writing just isn’t very good. The direction is fine, though you’re totally right when you say Deakins does the heavy lifting. The elements and basic story deserve more than his execution in fleshing it out. 

Patrick: Luckily, he’s got a cast busting at the seams with talent. It’s got Sigourney Weaver and doesn’t even need her! We don’t have the inches to talk about everybody, so why don’t we choose two or three performances to highlight?

Taylor: Thank you for bringing this up because WHY DOES HE BARELY USE SIGOURNEY WEAVER? If you have her, USE HER! I’m gonna kick things off with Bryce Dallas Howard because she’s excellent here. For a nepo baby known for things like Argyle and Jurassic World, you forget how good she is. The Help is one of my mom’s favorite movies and I’ve probably seen it a dozen or more times because it was always on. She’s so good in that! And her raw talent is on full display here. So so good!

Patrick: I think she could’ve been a movie star if we had given her the right stuff. That’s on us. And M. Night. Lady in the Water wasn’t it. She was one of my picks as well. Should we talk about the Adrien Brody in the room? 

Taylor: Oof. Interesting that his Succession co-star Jeremy Strong did a very similar thing in The Judge. Anywho, you can’t say he doesn’t commit! What happens to him is heartbreaking. Do I think M. Night knew how to write him well? No. If this movie were made today, would we cast Brody? No. But he’s doing the best he can here and I don’t want to discredit that no matter how awkward it is to discuss. 

Patrick: When we talk about him on The Wes Anderson-a-thon and how we want him to get better roles in more movies, this isn’t what we mean. You can rapid-fire some honorable mentions if you want, but I’d like to end this by talking about William Hurt as the head elder of the town. I never really had much of a relationship to his work, but I loved Body Heat on a first-watch and Altered States was my favorite movie of The Drew Barrymore-a-thon by far (go figure, she was four years old and barely in it). I’m starting to feel a deep dive coming on!

Taylor: He is so captivating. He seems, at his core, like someone you’d blindly trust. And not because you have to, but because you want to. That’s what makes him perfect here! Kind of made me want to revisit The Big Chill…

Patrick: Cherry Jones! Brendon Gleeson! Judy Greer! Jesse Eisenberg! And, oh, yeah, Joaquin Phoenix, who will be talking about in our next edition, where we’ll be reviewing Signs.

Taylor: I’m looking forward to it!

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