M. Night Shyamalan's "OLD" is Finally Here, and It's Nuts

 

I will forever defend the hill that says M. Night Shyamalan is a brilliant filmmaker. My appreciation of film as an art form can be focused down to two main elements: The Appendices for the extended editions of The Lord of the Rings (which is basically film school compacted into 12+ hours of behind-the-scenes footage and info), and M. Night's filmography, specifically The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs, and The Village. M. Night is one of those talents that isn't afraid to take those big swings, even if they're massive misses. He's had a recent resurgence with movies like The Visit, Split, and Glass, after a stint of commercial stinkers, and his latest film OLD, which opens this weekend, is a big swing for sure. Because of my bias towards the filmmaker, it can be hard for me sometimes to really dive into the faults of his films. I loved a lot of what this film does, so we'll focus on that for a bit.

OLD is a thriller about a family on a tropical holiday. The resort they stay at seems really shmancy, catering to their wants and desires, which were previously indicated on a pre-trip survey. However, they soon discover that the secluded beach where they are relaxing for a few hours is somehow causing them to age rapidly, reducing their entire lives into a single day. It's a really cool concept, and before venturing into the theater to watch it, I was convinced that M. Night had another hit on his hands, just from the trailers. I was surprised to see from the opening credits that instead of "Written, Produced, and Directed By," Shyamalan is credited as "Written for the Screen, and Directed by." Come to find out, OLD is based on a graphic novel called "Sandcastles" written by Pierre-Oscar Lévy and Frederick Peeters. Where Shyamalan truly shines, at least in my opinion, is when he's in full control of his own material, so I'll admit I was unwarrantedly hesitant from the opening credits.

But, as the movie began, those worries started to wash away like the unruly waves of the sea. M. Night knows how to set a tone. The way he uses the camera is purposeful and really ominous at times; with a subtle pan back and forth, he can create mood, tension, and atmosphere when there really isn't anything extraordinary going on on-screen. It doesn't take long before we find ourselves on the beach, and all craziness sets loose. Our central family is met by two other families and a mysterious loner, and as they all begin to experience the weirdness with time and the effects of the beach, the tension is ramped up to eleven. I won't go into any spoilers here, but this movie does some things with this concept that are really insane and totally messed-up, and I really dug it. The performances from the cast were really good, and as they all try to figure out what is going on, what is the connection, and how they all seem to deal with the events that play out, you begin to realize that there's some nefarious things happening.

Where this movie struggles is in its dialogue. This, unfortunately, is a common trope with Shyamalan's work. His dialogue can sometimes feel stiff, clunky, and overly expositional. This was sadly the case with this movie. It seemed as though every character had to over-explain every little detail. There's something to be said about subtlety and visual storytelling. I know M. Night is capable of it, but for whatever reason, this movie felt like it was being explained to me at every turn. It was rough at times, and I wanted so badly for it to be a minor issues, but unfortunately the clunkiness and overdramatic expositional dumps every couple of seconds were cumbersome. 

That being said, I really dug the movie and would love a second viewing. In recent interviews to promote this film, Shyamalan has expressed that his films often speak to things that are going on in his life, or ideas that he's dealing with at the moment of making them. Lately he's been contemplating mortality, with parents that are aging, and explores those ideas and fears in horrific and terrifying ways in this film. You can tell that this movie almost feels cathartic in a sense, and if that's the case, all power to him. At the end of the day, if you're a fan of his work, check this one out. Good or bad, I will always champion an attempt to swing for the fences, which this movie definitely does.