My first problem with the movie, The Others, was that I guessed the movie's secret before ever seeing the film. I had read a newspaper review of the film in my haste to see it and the reporter likened this film to another popular flick and something in my mind clicked...
On the other hand, I was so sure of my guess that I was able to watch the film closely for clues to hint at the truth. And I did find quite a few.
The Others, starring Nicole Kidman and produced by (gasp) soon-to-be-ex-husband, Tom Cruise is a dark film in more ways than one. Nicole plays a young mother to two children living in a large estate home during the last years of World War II. Her husband is gone to war and she is left to cope.
When the film opens, you are assaulted with several strange facts in a relatively short period of time. A trio of strange people arrive at the home and assume servants positions. You are immediately suspicious of this group and their secretive looks exchanged when they think no one is looking. Our leading lady explains that the house has no electricity, by choice, as they learned to live without it during the war. She also lays down strict rules regarding doors and curtains (closed at all times). You can't help but feel that the servants are humoring her.
The children are pale and tempermental. I kept having an image of the darling children, Jane and Michael, from Mary Poppins if they'd lived in the Twilight Zone. The older girl child, Ann, is presented as outspoken and a bit on the short-tempered side. Even worse...she's claiming to see people that no one else is seeing.
The artful use of noises and sounds, with a few suspenseful moments where you truly get a fright give you the false sense that you are being entertained.
It's difficult to describe anymore of the film without ruining it for those who have not yet seen it. The concept was interesting and fun, the fear factor was well done. When the cast and crew of The Others wanted to make you jump, cringe or clutch your seat rest - they did it with pure and simple methods which served perfectly well to make you squirm. Unfortunately, the rest of the film is unforgiveably dull and your final impression of the film is of a slow-paced thriller that never quite manages to grab you.
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