LADY IN THE WATER

Lady in the Water glistens with creativity and energy. It is a bedtime story, a bold experiment in storytelling, and M. Night Shyamalan’s gentlest film yet.

It has been a while since we’ve seen a filmmaker this deep into his own thoughts. We sense in every scene that Shyamalan is fascinated by his own story: the mythology, the characters, and the dialogue. It is like listening to a 10-year old boy describing a dream with excitement and sincerity.

The story is centered on a sea nymph (or narf) who turns to hotel handyman Cleveland Heep (Paul Giamatti) who is also the caretaker of the lodge which is aptly named “The Cove.”

As in his previous films, Shyamalan doesn’t keep viewers waiting for suspense. In the opening minutes, Cleveland is already inquiring about someone who takes late night swims in the hotel pool. And it isn’t very long before a pool serviceman finds hair tangled in the filter.

Moments later, it’s night time and Cleveland is preparing to go to bed when he hears splashing in the pool. We see splashes from his window but we’re just as curious and clueless as Cleveland, who grabs a flashlight and decides to see who is causing the disturbance.

Before we know it, Cleveland returns to his room with a mysterious woman. She sits on his couch, naked. Her name is Story (Bryce Dallas Howard) and she quickly informs Cleveland of her origins. She refers to her home as a place called “the blue world” but she also claims she cannot discuss it with anyone.

Cleveland is hesitant and disbelieving at first. But as he begins to listen to Story’s explanations, and witnesses strange occurrences whenever he is around her, he begins to believe what she says is true. Cleveland has enough reasons to trust the mysterious woman. In her presence his stuttering problem suddenly vanishes and he is able to speak in full sentences without having to interrupt himself.

The characters are wonderful. Paul Giamatti delivers one of the best performances of his career. He is good-natured and affable as Cleveland. It is refreshing to see M. Night Shyamalan incorporate humour in this film. He normally prefers to tell a dark tale with sinister subject matters and minimal comedy. Shyamalan has admitted, in interviews, that his films usually reflect his mood. If he is feeling angry, chances are he will write a grim story. With Lady in the Water, we can only presume that Shyamalan was feeling cheerful while penning the script. It flourishes with a rare innocence and its key message is positive.

I enjoyed Lady in the Water but I suspect many people will not. I have never discussed Shyamalan’s movies with someone who enjoyed every one of his films. There is always one person who liked The Sixth Sense (1999) more than Unbreakable (2000), or those who thought The Village (2004) was vastly superior to Signs. Lady in the Water reveals a sincere side of Shyamalan that we’ve been craving since The Sixth Sense. From the quirky characters to the fantastical elements, one can consider Lady in the Water as a modern-day version of E.T. (1982). The story involves an innocent and lovable life form which must safely return to its home with the help of humans.

This is the work of a director who is consumed by his ideas, who is able to balance worry with optimism, and who takes no wrong steps even by casting himself as a secondary character. What I gathered from this movie is that Shyamalan cares about his projects enough to want to make us care about them as well. I may not have approved of his Signs or The Village. This time, however, Shyamalan’s intention seems focused on enchanting, rather than shocking, us. If this is the case, he has never been more winning.

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