| RATING: | 60% |
| FORMAT: | DVD |
Pleasing horror with a strong vein of absurd humor that manages to intrigue without the usual recourse to gore and melodrama. This does not quite achieve its goals of making big statements about human nature and the fact that Western culture lacks a strong ethical dimension. Instead, it is content to make barbed and self-critical comments about the nature of dramaturgical cliché while using variations on those selfsame clichés.
The true glory of this film lies in its willingness to openly confront the storytelling process itself and the archetypal myths that good stories create.
Brilliantly and stylishly directed by only showing the audience the bare information it needs to follow the drama, this manages to let its audience use its imagination when necessary. There is no excess of superfluous camera movement to distract from the acting since director M Night SHYAMALAN possesses the requisite confidence in us for him to do this and to allow us to be carried away with his character-driven conceits.
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