Grade: A
One day, writer/director/actor M. Night Shymalan (‘The Sixth Sense,’ ‘The Village’) wrote a story for his kids. Then what did he go and do? He made a movie out of it.
As a fan of every one of Shymalan’s films I had high hopes for ‘’Lady in the Water,’ which looked like a strange, intriguing story. I wasn’t disappointed. ‘Water’ is a charming, well done, genre mixing film; it’s a fantasy, mystery, and thriller at once. Shymalan set the bar really high, though, with ‘The Sixth Sense,’ and ‘Water’ doesn’t quite have the same kick of thrill and despair. For instance, there’s no world-altering twist, characteristic of Shymalan’s films. But no matter how far over the fence a ball is hit, a home run is still a home run.
Mr. Heep, the film’s star, is played by endearing Paul Giamatti. Mr. Heep is sad, alone, and the landlord of a Philadelphia apartment building, which forms a melting pot in it’s own right. We’re introduced to many of the peculiar tenants, including a young man who only works out half of his body, a father who adores crossword puzzles, and a book and film critic (who by the way, has to be Shymalan’s hilarious way of telling critics what he thinks of them).
No one is allowed to swim after 7 pm, yet Mr. Heep keeps noticing someone in the pool at night. Following a series of events, Mr. Heep finds that a girl named Story (played by Bryce Dallas Howard) has been living in the pool. Story comes from a people known only to man through a bedtime story. She comes from the “blue world” (the ocean), and is on a rite of passage that requires her to find the person needing her wisdom. Mr. Heep decides to help Story, although her journey is especially unique, dangerous, and world changing.
As we near the end of summer, full of Hollywood franchise spectacles, ‘Water’ is one of the few original films to hit the screens. And it is so full of personality, and brings epic things to such a personal level that this is my favorite film of the summer.
Shymalan’s style may not be everyone’s cup of tea, though, and some could be turned off by his paced intricacy. But his films have been so popular, my guess is that most will like ‘Water.’
After seeing Shymalan’s ‘Signs,’ I recall comparing it to ‘Independence Day,’ a blockbuster extravaganza with the same premise. ‘Signs,’ in contrast, focused on how amazing events can foster monumental changes in individual lives. Shymalan points out that the ordinary is extraordinary. In ‘Signs,’ a faithless priest grapples with his convictions while aliens invade earth. We don’t see the thrilling battles in the sky; we see a farming family watch them on T.V. In ‘Water,’ a landlord confronts his issues while discovering that a fairy tale is true, and that water people live in the ocean.
