The Village

The Village is set in a small, isolated village community. All is safe and sound as long as no one ventures into the surrounding woods, where "those we don't speak of" live. No one wants to get on the wrong side of them. But there is no reason to leave the village anyway, as it is self-sufficient in all the necessities of life - with the sole exception of medicine. The council of elders, which includes the respected schoolteacher Edward Walker, ensures that the simple and idyllic way of life is maintained, but it is Edward's own daughter, the blind Ivy, who causes the very foundations of the small community to totter.

The mentally disabled Noah Percy is fond of the cheerful and straightforward Ivy, but she is in love with Lucius Hunt and makes no secret of it. It ends tragically, and to everyone's horror Ivy ends up taking it upon herself to travel through the woods all alone to fetch medicine from the city.

The Village is hard to pigeonhole, for if you are expecting a genuine horror film you will be disappointed, even though the film is at times rather creepy. What makes the film a fascinating experience is director M. Night Shyamalan's ability to build atmosphere. Unfortunately, Shyamalan cannot shake off the bad habit of having to come up with surprise endings. In "Unbreakable" the plot was completely contrived, and in "Signs" we absolutely had to be saddled with supernatural creatures from outer space. In The Village the ending may also be far-fetched, but unlike the director's previous films it has its own logic. Here a certain realism prevails after all, and all in all that makes for a more satisfying film experience.