After the huge success of THE SIXTH SENSE and its follow-up, in my opinion, the far superior, UNBREAKABLE, wunderkind M Night Shyamalan’s films seemed to dip in originality. After establishing himself as the master of the surprise twist, his last two films were a bit predictable. This may be due to the fact that everyone was looking for the twist and not to be outsmarted. SIGNS and THE VILLAGE were still successful films for the studios and even addressed some interesting issues, but the general opinion was he might have lost the magic that established him as a major player.
His latest film, LADY IN THE WATER, is a departure from his previous output, and may bring him further flak from the critics and studio execs (who are mostly people that have never created an original movie of their own). This film is a much gentler, linear story and should attract a new or different audience.
It is a fantasy story, which originated as a bedtime story for the writer/director’s children. It has obviously developed a lot since then as it is no longer a children’s story but a mixture of human drama and mythology.
In brief the story revolves around Cleveland Heep (Paul Giamatti) who has been quietly trying to disappear from his previous life by working as the janitor/fix-it man of the Cove apartment complex. But things change when he finds a mysterious young woman named Story (Bryce Dallas Howard), who has been living in the passageways beneath the building’s swimming pool. Cleveland discovers that Story is actually a “narf”, a nymph-like character from an epic bedtime story, who is being stalked by vicious creatures determined to prevent her from making the treacherous journey from our world back to hers, and he wants to help her.
Despite its universal themes, the story is set within the confines of the apartment complex, with many of its motley residents, lead by Heep, playing an integral part in the unfolding of the myth. Paul Giamatti’s everyman-looks make him an unlikely hero, and because of that he becomes even more heroic. Giamatti’s acting throughout the film is excellent and totally credible. From the fumbling, stuttering nobody of the beginning, through a series of powerful and emotional performances to the heroic and climactic finale, he carries the film. His co-stars give him solid support with their interpretations of the apartment’s quirky inhabitants, in particular Bob Balaban as the jaded and cynical film critic. Bryce Dallas Howard’s role as Story seems more cosmetic than anything. At times she looks like that other fish out of water, Daryl Hannah in SPLASH, but a lot more pallid and vulnerable. Shyamalan casts himself in a pivotal role, which demands a lot more acting than his usual cameo appearances, and he handles the part quite well. His acting has certainly improved and multitasking the way he does that is no mean feat. He has obviously written himself a part with a wish-fulfilling fantasy, which may go some way to revealing a bit more about his personality.
Overall it is gentle, evenly paced movie that is a departure from the writer/director’s previous formula. The message he is trying to impart is delivered subtly, without ramming it down the viewer’s throat as a lot of other Hollywood directors tend to do. It is not a movie that leaves you going “wow!”, and although some of the plot devices were a bit predictable, when you come away a lot of the spiritual values it is imparting start to seep in.
It is not the director’s best film and will no doubt receive mixed reviews, but it is better than a lot of other films on release at the moment, thanks to Giamatti and the mythological base to the story. If you want to see a film that is not all action or flippant, lightweight comedy then give this a go, you may be pleasantly surprised.
LADY IN THE WATER is on general release from August 11.