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