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THE OTHERS (2001 - PG13)
Genre: Drama, horror, thriller, mystery.
Rated PG-13 for thematic elements and frightening
moments.
Written and Directed by: Alejandro Amenabar.
Tagline: There isn't always an answer for
everything.
"The Others" is a suspense-building, melodramatic,
psychological rollercoaster that documents the life of the isolated
mother Grace Stewart, and her two severely ill-children Anne and
Nicholas. As the three struggle to live life in their eerily dark
and isolated mansion without their missing father, who has gone
off to WWII with no news yet of his condition, their only hope for
socialization comes from their eccentric servants and the mysterious
"others" that keep antagonizing the residency. |
Summary:
The story begins on the dawn
of the new life post WWII, in a large secluded island mansion where Grace
Stewart (Nicole Kidman) works ceaselessly day and night to ensure the
safety and comfort of her ill children Ann (Alakina Mann) and Nicholas
(James Bentley). Constantly suffering the pains of isolation, fear, and
loneliness, Grace is bound to her house because her children, subjects
of an intense photo-sensitive disease called Xeroderma Pigmentosum, prohibits
her children from ever leaving the refuge of the dark.
With curtains drawn and only
the aid of candlelight to sustain their daily activities, Grace is distraught
when her 'servants' suddenly up-and-leave, leaving her to oversee all
of the 50 rooms of the mansion herself. With her husband having left to
serve in WWII, Grace anxiously awaits word of her husband's survival,
and is intent on believing that, until her husband's return, the war has
yet to end.
Hope flashes its inward eye when three
servants, Mrs. Bertha Mills (Fionnula Flanagan), Mr. Tuttle (Eric Sykes),
and the mute Lydia (Elaine Cassidy) arrive in search of some much-needed
housework assistance back at their old familiar quarters. But their
arrival is more suspect than relieving, as the servants interactions
with the Stewarts heightens the mysterious tension-building atmosphere
surrounding the house and its eccentric aura. Is the house haunted,
is it simply too quiet, too lonely, or is it the new servants that seem
suspect? Or maybe, it's Grace, the highly-strung, fragile mother whose
sense of isolation threatens her insanity?
As doors are consistently shut and opened
(the former ALWAYS before the latter), and curtains religiously drawn,
tension peaks in the film as suddenly, someone or something begins to
defiantly pull down the curtains and make noise which drives the delicate
Grace to the point of insanity. As the servants become more and more
suspect in Grace's mind, a new layer of tension and melodrama develops.
Meanwhile, Anne has let her brother in on her little secret that she
sees people: people who want them to leave the house. Ironically, she
adamantly refuses to call them ghosts. But if they aren't ghosts.what
are they? Moreover, why can every one seem them but the bible doting,
high-strung Grace Stewart?
Mysteriously, Charles Stewart
appears out of the nowhere of dense fog and into the arms of his desperate
wife Grace. But Charles (Christopher Eccleston) return proves a change
in his condition, as the war-weary husband acts indifferent and detached,
vanishing as quickly as he reappeared. And that's when it happens...!
In a psychological journey
of the pathos of Grace Stewart and her fragile condition more delicate
than her ill-children, "The Others" is a mysterious film that lingers
somewhere between dreams and reality, and transcends the medium into one's
own psyche as they are effortlessly pulled into the story and its psychological
ups and downs. Dark rooms lit only by candlelight create brilliant tension
within the films dramatic ambience, producing shadowy effects that work
to heighten the suspense between audience and characters. An acutely attune
score dances between climactic suspense and languid, emotion-pulling measures
that sweep past the ear with the ease of a gentle breeze. Daylight constantly
threatens to break into the mansion, dramatized by the detailed door-closing
and opening, and the hyper-tension of Grace and her obsession with curtains.
Everything about "The Others" screams observant, detailed, suspenseful,
mystifying, intriguing.flawless!
Alejandro Amenabar brings
to life this intriguing premise of isolation and desperation with the
help of a stellar cast. The chemistry among all is so ornately in tune
with the colors and varieties of characters. Nicole Kidman is absolutely
flawless in her performance of a conflicted woman who borders between
strength and fragility, logical headstrong, and nearly insane.Grace Stewart
is a storybook of paradoxes, her character so colorful and rich and constantly
in a state of suffering that one can't help but be pulled in as Kidman
takes you through every scene with a depth of emotional variety that only
the most talented of actresses could pull off. Not disappointing the audience
however, is the rest of the cast, particularly Fionnula Flanagan and Alakina
Mann in their performances of Mrs. Mills and Anne Stewart, respectively.
Whispered dialogue and
intense periods of silence provoke the fear that is often substituted
for special effects overkill in other horror films. In short, Amenabar
simply plays with the minds of his characters and his audience in this
astutely intense psychological melodrama with a twisted ending that will
turn audiences on their heads and catch them by complete surprise. But
don't worry, Amenabar has taken painful care to make sure that, much like
"The Sixth Sense", all the bases are covered when the surprising ending
intentionally provokes its audience to go back and search for gaps in
the logic leading to the conclusion. By far the best scene is the ending,
simply because so much happens just previous to, and in the moment of,
the film's conclusion. The long game of cat-and-mouse mystery sleuthing
is finally answered in such a unique perspective the audience is simply
forced to say, wow! I suggest watching, and re-watching for two entirely
different, yet equally enjoyable takes on "The Others". In short, this
is by far one of the best dramas, and thriller films to come out in a
very, very long time.
Main Characters:
Grace Stewart, played by Nicole Kidman, is
the high-strung, over-protective mother of Ann and Nicholas and wife to
missing husband Charles Stewart.
Ann Stewart, played by
Alakina Mann, is the tempestuous little girl with a mysterious disease
and a bad temper that result in her multiple bible-reading sessions in
the dark.
Nicholas Stewart, played
by James Bentley, is the sweet but terrified little brother of Ann who
fears everything about his dark surroundings, including the purported
'ghosts' his sister continuously sees.
Charles Stewart, played
by Christopher Eccleston, is the war-weary mysterious father of Ann and
Nicholas and husband of Grace, whose mysterious reappearance and disappearance
provokes the main tension in the film.
Mrs. Bertha Mills, played
by Fionnula Flanagan, is the obedient but slightly mystifying house servant
who appears mysteriously with Mr. Tuttle and Lydia to help Grace oversee
the house.
Mr. Tuttle, played by Eric
Sykes, is the eccentrically friendly house-servant who is in charge of
working the lawns and helping Mrs. Mills prepare for their big 'day of
change'.
Lydia, played by Elaine
Cassidy, is the mute servant girl who works under the care of Mrs. Mills
and the curious eye of Grace Stewart.
 
 
 
 
MOVIE
INDEX * ChildDevelopment.com * EnglandOnline.com
CoverUps.com * MurderMysteries.com * RomanceNovels.com
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