There are movies that move you, make you laugh, endear you and just plain scare you. “The Others” encompasses all of these qualities with a story line that one can’t help but become drawn into.
It is human nature to compare movies to other movies, especially within the same genre and with striking similarities. Many have compared “The Others” with that of “The Sixth Sense.”
In “The Others” we have Kidman, who has just come off of her rise of fame and acclaim for “Moulin Rouge,” and I admit I was a little skeptical about her playing the dramatic mother of her two children in “The Others.”
The story progresses over the span of the families’ struggles after the father has not returned from war. As a result, Kidman’s character hires three people who in turn help or rather run the household activity, basically being servants to this rich “widow.”
Not only does the story delve into the ideas of the supernatural but it also dabbles in the religious upbringing of children. This gives a new dimension to the eeriness of “The Others.” Not only does it encompass such a passe topic, of which has been explored in recent movies; it incorporates it into the story line and thus almost becomes a character of its own.
We get the impression, as the story progresses, that they have “intruders” in the house. The daughter has begun a friendship with these uninvited guests, that we can only assume come from the afterlife.
The mother does not buy into her daughters’ vision and even goes onto punish her, by saying an abundance of Hail Mary’s. The son is light sensitive, and therefore the rooms in which he occupies must be dark at all times. Their house is huge and this darkness plays within the story line as an almost entity that no one can escape.
After leaving one room, you must shut and lock that door before you can open another one. It almost shows the overprotection and anal retentiveness of a mother who is on edge at all times. When one of these servants does not adhere to these rules and ironically all the curtains have been torn from their hangings, the family is forced to hide in a single room until nightfall.
Because of this blatant disregard for authority and rules, the Misses dismisses the servants, and thus become the “intruders” as they will not go away.
The end is what so inevitably is compared to ” The Sixth Sense.” However if one looks at it as its own entity, then one could see the striking differences with the ending.
Out of fear of giving anything away, I will not indulge your senses. But I would, however, recommend that you see the movie yourself. I would then recommend that you watch it again. Keep an open mind, and try not to compare it to “The Sixth Sense.” Each movie has a unique quality, and I hope that you will pick up on this.
