The Village

It has been a long time coming that I revisit this film. When it came out I remember everyone ripping on it and not being very happy with it. I, however, loved the film. I thought it was clever, original, and extremely entertaining. My thoughts on the film have wavered little – but I’ll still go into more detail on why I like it so much. Quick story synopsis: we follow the life and times of a village of people from olden times (possibly late 1800s or early 1900s). The village is surrounded by dense woods where these deadly creatures/monsters live so therefore the villagers fear the woods and do not travel outside their town limits. One man, played by Quaquin Phoenix, desires to venture into the woods and find civilization outside of the village. There are other “rules” that the villagers have to abide by regarding the color red, etc, but no need to go into that.

The Village Trailer

I won’t back down. I still love the crap out of this film. It transports the audience to another place and time. It does effectively create a new world for us to explore and be in awe of. The characters are well drawn and the dialogue is crafty. I especially love the lighting throughout the film – from the high towers of watch guard torches to ambient lighting from candles within the houses – it is truly a spectacular spectacle to observe.

But the best part of the film has to be how the suspense builds ever so perfectly. From the boy standing on the log with his back turned to the woods, to Quaquin’s short venture into the woods where he sees something for a second, to the first spotting of the red-robbed creature under the watch tower, to the sighting of the creature on the front porch – it all works so well. I also love the use of the impaired senses in the film; the blind girl and the mentally retarded boy, Percy, played by Adrian Brody. It allows the audience to experience this whole new world in a different light because we become attached and embedded in these characters and what they are experiencing.

My favorite scene has to be where Luscious (Phoenix) takes the blind girls hand and ushers her to safety. That slow motion sequence mixed with the music work so beautifully together. It just gets me every time.

Say what you will about M. Night Shal…. Other films, but this film Is extraordinary. I love the cinematography, acting, musical score, and the story is solid as well. To be truthful I hate the huge twists he adds to the ends of his films – they destroy all of the ground that he has built throughout the film. This destroys the experience for two reasons – 1. Repeat viewings are extremely minimalized and 2. During his other films the audience is too focused on trying to figure out what the biog twist will be and they do not get caught up in the film at the current moment like that should.

Rating: 9.5/10
RT: 43%