AT THE MOVIES

by Isy Jordan

Old
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Starring: Gael García Bernal, Vicky Krieps, Rufus Sewell, Alex Wolff, and more.


A vacationing family discovers that the secluded beach where they're relaxing for a few hours is somehow causing them to age rapidly, reducing their entire lives into a single day.

I've been a fan of M. Night Shyamalan for years now and personally, I really liked this movie. That being said, it's not going to be everyone's cup of tea.

Basically, a family goes on a vacation to an island paradise. Nice, right? Young parents, little children. What could go wrong?

Everything.

Not long into the movie, we realize that the parents are having problems and they want one last happy memory before they crash the kids' world. But the kids already know. They have breakfast at their posh hotel and there a staff member of the hotel lets them know about an exclusive beach that only a few guests will have access to. Along with another family, our heroes pack up on a bus and head for that beach.

What happens next is like an acid-driven fever dream. I can't say more without revealing something but trust me when I say the movie then hits the gas and doesn't let up until the end.

The film has a lot going for it. The acting was good and the players, aside from Rufus Sewell, were fairly new to me which added to the story's realism. I'd never seen a story like it and the originality is also striking. In a horror film, it's rare when you find yourself unable to anticipate what might happen next. I had no clue. It pushes your anxiety level even higher.

The ending, unlike that of some of this director's other films, was astonishing but it was explained. The metaphorical messaging was applied with a twenty-pound sledgehammer but it was bold and timely. At the end, I had quite a lot to think about -- and needed a drink.

The film is just under two hours in length and most of that is spent on the edge of your seat. It's rated PG-13 and honestly, it's pushing the limits of that. There were some pretty disturbing concepts and visuals here. But it wouldn't be a Shyamalan film if that wasn't true.

Isy