The Village

Tags

2000's, Adrien Brody, Brendan Gleeson, Bryce Dallas Howard, Cherry Jones, Joaquin Phoenix, Judy Greer, M. Night Shyamalan, Psychological Drama, Psychological Thriller, Sigourney Weaver, The Village, William Hurt

Somewhat of a conundrum among movie fans and critics upon release, The Village is no doubt about it a flawed movie from M. Night Shyamalan. But there is something about it that always sparks my mind and it does have my opinion of it being a misunderstood movie.

In the late 1890’s, a sheltered village borders a foreboding woods. The Elders of the village speak of creatures referred to as ‘Those We Don’t Speak Of’, who inhabit the woods but who not many have actually seen . No one is supposed to cross the boundaries between the village and the woods as their is a truce stating this and that never the twain shall meet. The villagers all go about their days seemingly in harmony but whenever they see a red colour they must discard of it and appointed members take a nightly watch over the village and the woods. The quiet yet thoughtful Lucius( Joaquin Phoenix )has an idea to trek through the woods in order to get medical supplies for those in need of it as recently a little boy died who could have lived if medicine was around. The request by Lucius is denied by the village Elders, which include his guarded mother Alice(Sigourney Weaver). We learn that the mentally disabled Noah Percy(Adrien Brody)has once been in the woods but supposedly wasn’t seen by Those We Don’t Speak Of. Noah also has feelings for Ivy(Bryce Dallas Howard) , who is the blind daughter of Elder Edward(William Hurt) . Ivy though loves the stoic Lucius and is determined to bring him out of his quiet shell. Things change within the village when Lucius briefly steps over the boundary before being spooked and returning home. After this breach of truce, animal carcasses are found about the village, red warnings are left on doors and Those We Don’t Speak Of appear to menace the villagers. It soon becomes clear following a near tragedy that someone must pass through the woods in search of help. But just what will be discovered when the brave Ivy does?

M. Night Shyamalan is a very skilled director and he definitely knows how to stylishly delivery creepy imagery and emotion, plus a twist ending that is always going to be debated. Sequences like entering the village and menacing the locals are appropriately creepy as is Ivy’s eventual journey through the forbidden woods. These show M. Night Shyamalan exercising immense cinematic ability in displaying the build up in pace as we get to know the dwellers and their lives/routines.  I’m going to just put it out there that The Village is an imperfect film that while intriguing, leaves a lot of things vague and sometimes it doesn’t quite make sense. In some ways it provides a watchable mystery with a human heart, but then there are areas that really don’t add up when you actually give them some thought. Saying this, I do find that The Village  was pretty miss marketed at the time of release as a straight up horror movie when it’s more of a psychological drama/thriller in period costume. I think this made the public’s idea of what it would be to be very different from the finished article. And as a study in secrecy, belief and how fear/grief make an impact on those attempting to steer away from it, The Village is different but effective in its execution of those themes.

In terms of visuals, The Village looks glorious especially throughout, owing the mood enhancing cinematography of Roger Deakins that coats a lot of the unfolding film in a golden, near sepia tone which resembles flickering candlelight . This along with Shyamalan ‘s use of long close ups that start slow and then zero in on the faces of the cast add to the creepy and uneasy atmosphere. One of the best things in The Village is the sublime score from James Newton Howard and featuring the talents on solo violin of Hilary Hahn. It is by turns menacingly creepy and poignant in equal measure as the mystery unravels and the sense of sadness comes through to the sounds of ambience from James Newton Howard and the mournful yet expressive violin of Hilary Hahn . The duo deserve every inch of praise for their haunting contribution to a confounding movie.

Where The Village doesn’t falter is in its cast , which is pretty stacked with talent from top to bottom. Joaquin Phoenix, who I find is one of the most reliable and dedicated actors out there , is commendable as ever here. Contributing a thoughtful take on a man who often finds it difficult to express himself but who has enough gumption to begin to emerge from his shell, Phoenix is thoroughly superb. In an early role that helped her get notice and show off her talent we have Bryce Dallas Howard. Radiating a delicacy and alternating iron will , she’s beautifully convincing as Ivy. Though the character is blind, Howard makes her a character who refuses to be defined by this and instead is a rather forward thinking woman, who is braver than most of the eponymous village and not afraid to show it. Adrien Brody is effectively tragic as the misunderstood Noah, who finds himself in trouble but is not really aiming for it as he is not treated with the appropriate help, except from a sympathetic and beautifully understanding Ivy. William Hurt and Sigourney Weaver exhibit stoic secrecy and a guarded authority as the village elders who are a lot more than meets the eye . Brendan Gleeson emits a melancholy and dejected persona as a man who lost his son and is wrestling with the unimaginable grief. The impressive Cherry Jones is also effectively used as a high up member of the village with her own private sadness to hide .It’s only really Judy Greer that gets shortchanged with the role of Ivy’s sister. It’s not that Greer isn’t good, in fact she’s a very talented actress. Unfortunately it’s just that the part of Kitty doesn’t leave a lot of scope to do much with.

The Village has quite a bit to recommend and is quite an eerie and melancholy film from M. Night Shyamalan with many a great performance( particularly the one from Bryce Dallas Howard) and a superlative score. It’s still got many head scratching moments that can render some of it ambivalent for the viewers. Yet I believe some reassessment is in need for The Village, as it does have some forms of merit within it’s often mind bending story.

The Help

Tags

2010's, Allison Janney, Bryce Dallas Howard, Drama, Emma Stone, Jessica Chastain, Octavia Spencer, Sissy Spacek, Tate Taylor, The Help, Viola Davis

Film Title

The Help

Director

Tate Taylor

Starring

• Emma Stone as Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan
• Viola Davis as Aibileen Clark
• Octavia Spencer as Minny Jackson
• Bryce Dallas Howard as Hilly Holbrook
• Jessica Chastain as Celia Foote
• Allison Janney as Charlotte Phelan
• Sissy Spacek as Mrs. Walters

A big-hearted and stirring movie that tackles racism and the efforts of someone to expose it, The Help provides a poignant and affecting film, aided by a superb cast of talented actresses.

Aibileen Clark is a black maid for a family in 1963 Jackson, Mississippi, who has endured great hardships but has largely kept her emotions under wraps as being maid is the only thing she knows and the only form of work she has. She finds company in her friend and fellow maid Minny Jackson, who is sassy and outspoken in comparison to her, but an excellent cook which is why she finds her employment. A friend of the family Aibileen works for, the young and fresh out of university Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan returns home to pursue a career in writing. Yet in the social circle that Skeeter finds herself in, headed by the utterly vile and extremely racist Hilly Holbrook, she is something of an odd person, mainly due to the fact that she is more interested in writing than finding a boy to marry. After witnessing the prejudice that the black maids suffer on a daily basis from the white families that employ them, Skeeter finds a story to be discovered and written about. She wishes to write something that shows the feelings and opinions of ‘the help’ and expose what they go through. Determined as ever, she first asks Aibileen her thoughts on being a maid, of which Aibileen is apprehensive as she doesn’t want to lose her job for speaking out of turn. Good-natured Skeeter eventually wins Aibileen around with her persuasive tactics as she genuinely cares about what happens and wishes to make some sort of difference to the shocking treatment of black people. But in the climate of racism and prejudice, they must be careful that no one catches on to their plans, especially Hilly. They also recruit Minny, who has a few stories to tell in typically impudent fashion. Their writing and conversations soon lay the ground work for the book, as they skilfully avoid being caught by meeting in secret and quietly getting the opinions of other maids, who were first skeptical about speaking out. As the writing continues, Skeeter’s resolve strengthens until she won’t stop and with growing confidence and support from both Aibileen and Minny, the book is put in successful motion.

Tate Taylor’s direction is well-appointed and rendered with just the right amount of poignancy, that allows the characters to shine brightly and come alive. He does get a bit sidetracked with trying to sometimes be too light, but his direction is handsomely done all the same. There a few times when The Help misses an opportunity to really present the themes it has with more honesty and they get a bit lost in the whole thing, but by and large, it does a pretty commendable job with at least bringing most of it to the attention of viewers. I would have liked a bit more seriousness at various parts in the film, but the largely touching and inspiring story at least made up for that mishap. The Help certainly makes for moving and poignant viewing, as we really feel get to know the characters of Aibileen and Minny and are horrified at the treatment they endure by others, simply because of their skin colour. It is pretty staggering that it wasn’t actually that long ago that things like this happened when you think about it, and even today there is still prejudice in places. Some will say that the film is too glossy to have dramatic impact when it does have significantly moving material that sheds a light on determination to overcome racism. If anything, the bright colours throughout The Help, enable it to be a bit ironic as everything on the surface is nice, but the ugly truth of matters is far from it. The music in The Help is quite a contemplative part of it, with a growing emotion and feeling slowly emerging from the quiet.

Emma Stone is extremely appealing as the heroine and thrust of the narrative. Her Skeeter is a girl of understanding and doggedness, who gradually with gumption takes risks in ensuring that the story is told and recognized as a portrait of the hardships the maids have to deal with. Her bright eyes and quick mouth are also put to good use, with Stone getting some feisty one-liners to dispense to the circle of women she knows and all follow Hilly like loyal sheep. If Stone represents the spirit of the piece, Viola Davis is the beating heart of The Help. Her dignity, integrity and emotions are all projected with such beauty, poise and humanity that you can’t help but be moved and sympathise with. Her face registers so many feelings that dialogue isn’t needed to understand the hardships she has endured and how she has stoically battled away with grace and hope. Davis is a soulful and powerful performer and her work here is nothing short of amazing from start to finish. On scene-stealing form is an Oscar-winning Octavia Spencer, who is delightfully sassy and direct to the point. Her Minny is a character to root for and Spencer’s wit and depth is given fine voice and freedom as Spencer completely owns a lot of the show with her work. Bryce Dallas Howard savours the role of queen bitch Hilly and plays it to the hilt, becoming one nasty piece of work that you just want her to get exactly what she deserves. She reminds one of a cross between a Stepford Wife and a queen bee from high school, all packaged into a horribly vindictive package and realised well by the talented Howard. Jessica Chastain showcases her immense versatility by playing the ditzy but very personable Celia; an ostracized lady who hires Minny and treats her like any normal person would, in a respectful and kind way that isn’t based on prejudice or fear. Chastain imbues the role with a real naive sweetness, along with a complimentary wealth of sadness that makes you want to hug her. Celia is bullied by the disgusting Hilly who sees her as trashy and immature, when in reality she is a lot more likable, open-minded and mature in outlook than anyone thinks. Good support is provided by Allison Janney as Skeeter’s bossy but ill mother and especially Sissy Spacek as the dotty but amusing mother of Hilly.

So while it could have dug deeper into the issues it presents, The Help still ends up being a pleasing and moving drama about taking a chance and growing with courage in letting your voice be heard.