The Village

 

The Village 2004

• Director: M Night Shyamalan
• Seen by this director: Glass, Split, After Earth, The Happening, Unbreakable, The Sixth Sense, Wide Awake   
• Based on book: no
• Cast: Sigourney Weaver, William Hurt, Joaquin Phoenix, Bryce Dallas Howard, Adrien Brody, Brendon Gleeson, Celia Weston, Judy Greer
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Sigourney Weaver – Chappie, Paul, Be Kind Rewind, Snow Cake, Imaginary Heroes, Holes, Galaxy Quest, A Map of the World, Alien etc, The Ice Storm, Death and the Maiden, Dave, The Working Girl, Gorillas in the Mist, Ghostbusters
• William Hurt – Humans, Winter’s Tale, Robin Hood, Into the Wild, A History of Violence, AI, Sunshine, Lost in Space, Smoke, The Accidental Tourist
• Joaquin Phoenix – Joker, Don’t Worry He Won’t Get Far on Foot, Two Lovers, Reservation Road, Walk the Line, Hotel Rwanda, Gladiator, To Die For
• Bryce Dallas Howard – Rocketman, The Help, As You Like It, Manderlay
• Adrien Brody – Detachment, Cadillac Records, Darjeeling Limited, King Kong, The Pianist, Bread and Roses, Liberty Heights
• Brendon Gleeson – Paddington 2, Alone in Berlin, Suffragette, Edge of Tomorrow, Harry Potter etc, Perrier’s Bounty, In Bruges, Breakfast on Pluto, Kingdom of Heaven, Cold Mountain, 28 Days Later, AI, The Butcher Boy, Michael Collins, Braveheart
• Celia Weston – Far from Heaven, Igby Goes Down, Snow Falling on Cedars, Dead Man Walking, Stars and Bars
• Judy Greer – Ant-Man, Tomorrowland, American Dreamz
• Why?  The cast and the director.
• Seen: Possibly once before. Now: 18 June 2023. 

A kind of a cult in 19^th century clothing and speaking 19^th century English (sort of) lives in a village in the woods far from the towns. They have a truce with Those We don’t Speak Of but when small animals turn up slain and skinned, some believe it is TWDSO who are to blame.

Young brave Lucius (Phoenix) requests permission of the elders to go through the woods to the towns for supplies. He says that TWDSO won’t harm him because he is not threatening.

But things happen. More and bigger slain and skinned animals are left and villagers are frightened.

If you don’t look too deeply into the story and don’t mind the stilted English you might enjoy this, as I do, for its eeriness, uneasy atmosphere, not to mention Joaquin Phoenix, who is always worth seeing. 

3 * of 5