MOVIES: The Village

I rented The Village last night. I'm a fan of M. Night Skamahefnsjhsalmmalan's, but for some reason never felt like seeing this film in the theaters. Maybe because it was the worst-reviewed of his films yet. But I thought it was a decent enough rental, with some nice performances from Joaquin Phoenix (who I always think I'm going to hate, but usually end up liking), William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver (who, frankly, is mostly wasted, but I always like to see her), and especially Bryce Howard, Ron Howard's daughter, in her first major screen role. She's surprisingly good, sweet and pretty and full of joy and energy.

I went into this film already having guessed what the big twist surprise was, same as I did with The Sixth Sense. When someone tells you there's a twist, you can't help but try to guess at it, and I haven't found the guessing too difficult so far. (I didn't guess the twist in Unbreakable, which may be partly why it's my favorite of his movies.) But, same as with Sense, I still liked this film. I knew where it was going, but I enjoyed the trip there. There's also a kind of secondary twist in the film, which I also guessed the moment it was raised -- so again, as a mystery, I didn't think it was that successful. But as a mood piece, as a character study, as a vehicle for accomplished method acting, it worked.

What most impressed me was the economy of the film. Most of the scenes, especially at the beginning, are tremendously clever about establishing the setting, the story, the village and its inhabitants, without taking one second more than is needed. The film jumps into the middle of various moments in the lives of these people, and then moves on, having given you exactly what you need to care about the people and learn about their world, and no more; it never belabors the point. It's a film seminar on cutting right to the heart of the matter.

That said, it's a slight film, at best. It doesn't have the weight or the impact of any of M. Night Snbhwefnlasmegblan's previous films, not in the set-up, nor in the payoff (especially if, like me, you've figured it out way in advance). But I'm glad I saw it, and I continue to look forward to anything this director comes up with.