The Happening (2008)

Intro

The Happening is a 2008 American science fiction thriller film written, co-produced, and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. As I already watched "Signs" and "The Village" during the class, I would like to make a comparison among and discuss the recognizable imprint on M. Night Shyamalan's movies.

Theory discuss

Auteur theory explores the notions of individual creative vision and control in cinema. An auteur is a director who displays his/her style and vision consistently across his/her films regardless of genres. Similar film style and theme exist across his films and one will deduce them to grow sophisticatedly in subsequent films. M. Night Shyamalan is an Auteur as he always leaves his signature imprint includes the mise-en-scène and the themes featured in his movies.

Synopsis

The Happening start with a mysterious event begins from Central Park, New York where people acting strange and killing themselves. After the government explained the suicidal behavior might cause by toxin of a"terrorist attack", high-school science teacher, Elliot Moore(Mark Wahlberg) decides to flee to Philadelphia with his friend Julian(John Leguizama), along with Julian's daughter, Jess(Ashlyn Sanchez) and his wife, Alma(Zooey Deschanel). Their train forced to halt before arriving at its final destination.Julian leave Jess to Elliot and Alma and looks for his wife at Princeton. Elliot suspects the "toxin" were actually produced by the plants and carried by the wind. People who travel in smaller group will have greater chance to survive.

Analysis

In The Happening, Shyamalan used the theme of a dysfunctional family. In the beginning of the movie shows the relationship of Elliot and Alma was falling apart and Alma seems to have an affair with Joey (voiced by M. Night Shyamalan). The same theme was also used in the Signs film, Graham's family is also having a dysfunctional relationship. He is having a hard time to communication with his children after his wife died in an accident. However, the family relationship will be fixed at the end of the movie as they overcome the disaster together. Elliot and Alma finally being honest with each other and confess their love after they survived the disaster. They live happily together with Jess, who lost her parent and Alma found out she is pregnant at the end of the movie.

Other than that,the character in Shyamalan's film will always give a second chance. In The Happening, Elliot is given a second chance to fix his relationship with Alma and save their marriage from the edge of falling apart. In Signs, Graham regains his faith and building an intimate relationship with his family again. And in The Village, Ivy inherit Lucius's will to go to the town and seek for medical supply for the village. Despite the terrible things happen in the movie, the characters find hope and grab the opportunity to make remedy to their mistake.

The long take was constantly used in Shyamalan's movies to reveal an ongoing event. For example in The Village, when Ivy encountered the monster in the wood, she hides behind a tree and trying to escape from her situation. The scene was captured in long take and controlled what to show to the audiences, emphasized the thrilling feeling as it almost stimulates Ivy's emotion in this scene.In The Happening, the long take was used in the scene when a police killed himself with his own gun and the next person picks up the gun and shot himself too. The usage of long shot in here lead us to travel through the trail of the gun been passing around and bringing more death.

Conclusion

In conclusion, M. Night Shyamalan indeed practice auteurism by transcends the script by imposing his style and vision, blending subjective and personalized filmmaking practices. Throughout his movies, from Signs to The Village and The Happening, similar film style and themes can be recognized and continuously develop in the subsequent film

References

1.  N. M. (Ed.). (2010). Auteur Theory. Retrieved June 26, 2016, from http://film110.pbworks.com/w/page/12610154/Auteur Theory 
2.  C. L. (2013, June 20). Looking back at M Night Shyamalan's The Happening. Retrieved June 26, 2016, from http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/26050/looking-back-at-m-night-shyamalans-the-happening 
3. Staiger, Janet (2003) ‘Authorship Approaches’, in Gerstner, David A. and Staiger, Janet (eds.) Authorship and Film, New York: Routledge, pp. 27 – 57

The Village (2004)

The Village is a psychological thriller film written, produced and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Featuring Bryce Dallas Howard, Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody and William Hurt. The movie was nominated for "Best Original Score" in Academy Award(2004) and won the award of "Top Box Office Film" in ASCAP FIlm and Television Music Award.

Plot

The story is about an isolated community lives on a village build on the edge of the Covington Woods and governed by the council of elders during the 19th century. The village safety is threatened by Those We Do Not Speak Of, a carnivorous monster who live in the woods . Watchtowers are set up and guarded by young man every night, color red will be buried because it attracts the beast. Villagers were taught to not walk into the wood since they were young.

The movie begins with the funeral of a seven-years-old child who die in illness. To prevent more death happen in the village, Lucius Hunt (Joaquin Phoenix) ask the council of elders for the permission to pass through the wood and seek for medical supplies from the "town" , but the elders forbid him to do so to keep their oath of never leaving the village. It does not stop Lucius to make a small venture into the wood after he saw Noah Percy (Adrien Brody), the village idiot walks into the wood safely and returns with a red berry. But soon, the creatures broke into the village and mark every door with red paint as a warning.

Ivy (Bryce Dallas Howard), the blind young daughter of the chief Elders, Edward Walker (William Hurt) confess her love to Lucius Hunt, and he returns her affection after saving Ivy during the invasion of Those We Do Not Speak Of. They arrange to be married, but Noah Percy who is apparently also in love with Ivy stabbed him with a knife. Lucius is badly injured and the village lack of medicine to save his life. Ivy volunteer to pass through the wood and get the medical supplies.

Edward Walker agrees her decision and told her the beasts were actually faked by the council so they can keep people from entering the wood. Ivy insists on traveling into the wood after her guards are both run away in fear. She then encountered the monster and kill it by tricks it falling into a deep hole. The monster was actually Noah wearing in costume. In the end of the movie, Ivy successfully passes through the forest and returns home with medicines she gets from the park ranger, Kevin.

Analysis

Same as Shyamalan's previous movie, The Village also consist a plot twist at the end of the film. The Village have two plot twist that surprises the audience with events that happened out of their expectation. The first plot twist in the movie is when Edmond Walker told Ivy the monster was actually made out by the elders. They put on a costume to scare away people who intended to enter the wood. The second plot twist was the monster appeared in the wood. Audiences were surprised as they did not expect to see the creature again after they were told the creature do not actually exist. It was later revealed that the creature was actually Noah Percy who wearing a costume.

Unlike the traditional thriller film, where the villains are usually supernatural creature. Although The Village does show us a monster in the film, yet the real villain in the movie was actually human, or to be specific, crimes committed by the human. Crimes happened on the elders' family become the reason of pushing the elders abandon their previous life and form an isolated community. By making an oath to protect the innocent, the council ruling the village through fear. It was a human hiding behind the mask of a monster and human was the only creature who ever done harm to the others throughout the movie.

The soundtrack of The Village had definitely enhanced the emotion of the movie, the majority of the music consists of violin solo against a background of strings, winds and piano, gives the movie a more tender emotional focus. The silence was used during violence scene creates disturbing feelings. For example, the uncomfortable silence when people finds dog were killed and skinned in the farm. And also the scene when Noah stabbed Lucius with a knife, there is no background music and not even sound effect when the knife stabbed into Lucius' stomach, the whole conflict happened in silence.

The Village is also about how love becomes the intention when people makes their decision. The love between Ivy and Lucius gives Ivy the courage to pass through the wood by overcoming her fear and disability. Noah was also in love with Ivy but the enviousness consumed him when he knows Ivy and Lucius were about to get married. He then tried to kill Lucius and put on a monster costume so he can stop Ivy from getting the medicine for Lucius. The elders who choose to build the village was also driven by love. Losing their family breaks their heart and they lost their faith in humanity, they decide to escape from the society and seek sanctuary by lives in an isolated environment to keep their purity and innocent.

Reference

1. Scott, A. O. (2004, July 30). FILM REVIEW; The Fear Is Color-Coded And the Forest Is Scary. Retrieved June 19, 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9D0DE1D7103DF933A05754C0A9629C8B63 
2. SOUNDTRACK REVIEW by Andrew Klay – The Village (2004). (2012, February 14). Retrieved June 19, 2016, from http://www.reichelrecommends.com/soundtrack-review-by-andrew-klay-the-village-2004/ 
3. B. A. (n.d.). Lessons from 'The Village' Retrieved June 19, 2016, from http://www.cbn.com/entertainment/screen/ayers_village.aspx?mobile=false 

Signs (2002)

Signs (2002) is a science fiction thriller movie directed by M. Night Syamalan.Starring Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Rory Culkin and Abigail Breslin. The film was nominated for Online Film Critics Society and The Empire Award. It also won an award from the American Society of Composer, Authors and Publishers.

Plot

The story focus on former priest Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) who lost his faith and leave his duty when his wife died in a car accident cause by Rey Reddy (Shyamalan). He live in a wooden house in front of cropfield with his younger brother, Merrill and his children, Morgan(Rory Culkin) and Bo(Abigail Breslin). The event begin with they discovered a huge geometric shape, crop circle on their cornfield.It follows with more strange event such as more crop circle appearing around the world, animals turn violent, the strong, dark creature appeared around their house and the weird conversation they received through an old baby monitor. They soon realized those signs was related to an upcoming alien invasion.

Analysis

Although Signs is actually about alien invasion, the theme of the movie is also about how Graham gain back his faith. He was in great depression after his wife death, he believe god abandoned him for letting his love to die, especially when he been serving god for so many years. He shows reluctant when people still calling him "Father" and asking him to hear their confession, he even refuse to pray on their "last dinner". However when Morgan is in risk to lose his life when he breath in the toxic gas from alien, he pray and miracle happened as his son asthma save his life.

Religious metaphors featured in the movie is also deliver a different way for audience to interprete the meaning of the movie. People believed "aliens" in the movie is actually symbolize demons or evil. The aliens in the movie do not have technology or weaponary, they are merely clawed, naked beast and can be defeat using water, much like vampire or any other dark creatures that can be defeat by holy water. Except for that, the radio reports about the method killing the aliens has been found "in three small cities in the MIddle East", it could be symbolize the religious hub of the three Abrahamic traditions.

The first thing that catch my attention throughout the film will be the effective used of sound track in the movie. As we know sound track can be use as an effective way to create and enhance thrilling atmosphere of the scene such as when Morgan receive a weird noise using an old baby monitor, the soundtrack of this scene is very intense and we can hear the creepy crackling noise from the baby monitor, it sure brings a lot of tension through the music. I believe many people will like the jump scare from the scene when Graham first encounter the alien in his crop field and the scene when alien walk by on a birthday party, these scene won't be so effective if without the brilliant soundtrack.

I personally feel dissapointed when the movie reveal the aliens as they show up in the living room and and being defeated by a baseball bat and water. I enjoy how Syamalan build up the thrill and mysterioud admosphere without really showing how the aliens look like throughout the movie. The crackle noise from the baby monitor, the legs that walk across the cropfield, the low quality video that give us a glimps of the strange creature and claws that reach out beneath the door, these are the moments that exites me the most, but the thrill falls apart when the aliens stood in front of the Huss family. The design of the aliens looks old fashion and the special effect is also seem very unrealistic compare to today's technology.I would rather the mysterious invators stay mysterious till the end of the film.

However, Signs is still considered a very suscessful hybrid genre. The director is trying to tell us more than an alien invasion, it is a story about how a man regaining his faith and family, how he realize the signs was given when he lost someone he loves and finally belief there will be someone watch over them no matter what happens.

Reference

1. Theory will make you rethink M. Night Shyamalan's SIGNS. (n.d.). Retrieved June 12, 2016, from http://www.quietearth.us/articles/2012/08/This-theory-will-make-you-rethink-everything-about-M-Night-Shyamalans-SIGNS 
2. Scott, A. O. (2002, August 2). FILM REVIEW; Finding Faith, or Something, in a Cornfield. Retrieved June 12, 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9D05E4DA113BF931A3575BC0A9649C8B63