Grace Stewart (Nicole Kidman) lives on an island off the coast of England with her two children, Anne (Alakina Mann) and Nicholas (James Bentley). They inhabit a large mansion. Her housekeepers have mysteriously abandoned their jobs in the middle of the night. So, a few days later, three new housekeepers appear to take their place.
As they begin to settle into their new jobs, the housekeepers discover that all does not seem to be well at the house. The children, who are allergic to sunlight and must be kept in the dark at all times, seem to be a bit afraid of their mother, saying that she once went mad. Soon, strange voices and noises are heard and there seems to be an inhuman presence in the house. Anne begins talking about a boy named Victor, whom only she can see.
The Others, which was released in 2001, is a very tense, effectively suspenseful thriller. Director Alejandro Amenabar makes good use of the surroundings found in and around the large house where the action takes place. By keeping the viewer unsure about what’s going on by dangling the possibilities that everything could be imagined or might actually be supernatural occurrences, Amenabar allows the movie to keep you interested despite its dragging pace.
Unfortunately, that slow pace leads you to believe that something truly exciting or mind-bending will occur at the climax. It doesn’t. Without ruining anything, I’ll just say that the ending tries to take a page out of the M. Night Shymalan school of twists but falls flat on its face in the process. As a result, the movie is hugely disappointing, especially because the build-up is so well-done and engaging.
2.5 out of 5.0 stars
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