The Others

Director Alejandro Amenábar gained publicity in Hollywood after Cameron Crowe decided to create a remake, “Vanilla Sky” (2001), of Amenábar’s Spanish film “Open Your Eyes” (1997). “Open Your Eyes” garnered positive acclaim from critics, and it currently appears on the list of best sci-fi movies. Nonetheless, the movie launched Amenábar’s career in Hollywood, although it was short lived. “The Others” (2001) is the only movie Amenábar ever directed in Hollywood. This is rather surprising because the film was a smash hit at the box-office as well as with the critics. One would have hoped Amenábar would get more projects following the success of “The Others,” but he just vanished and started making movies in Europe.  “The Others” fared immensely well, in spite of its being marketed as a horror movie. There is no gore, violence, or cheap thrills, and it attains a PG-13 rating, making it possible to be viewed by wide audiences. But the main reason the film is immensely popular is because of its twist ending, something that has positively resonated with the fans over the years.

Clearly, “The Others” is a tribute to heyday horror movies like “The Haunting” (1963) and a few Hitchcock movies. But noticeably, the film is highly influenced by Shyamalan’s “The Sixth Sense” (1999) with its wicked ending. Amenábar’s film, however, never cheats its audience, even after it reveals its ending. The movie starts with a shrill scream from Grace (Nicole Kidman), and from that moment on, we feel something abnormal about the entire setting. We meet Grace’s two kids, Anne (Alakina Mann) and Nicholas (James Bentley), and we learn that they are suffering from a rare genetic disorder, Xeroderma Pigmentosum; their disease plays an important part in the overall setup. The kids cannot be exposed to bright light, or else they run the risk of developing lesions and burns that can be life threatening. Only lamps can be used as a source of light, and curtains are hung in every room to block sun rays. As such, the house setup creates a creepy atmosphere, with the tension building up with in each scene. The “others” in the house torment Grace’s family, resulting in scares and a few chilling moments for viewers to experience.

While there is no solid story structure per se, the film’s narrative interweaves fantasy and reality, making for a suspenseful plot. For me, the film’s characters are straight out of a fantasy fable.  It’s like a dream sequence in which each character is stuck in a temporal zone separating fantasy from reality. The production values further enhance the development of Grace’s possible fantasy world. This is not an escapist world that Grace is fantasizing; Grace is lost, but like her, the other characters embark on a journey of self-discovery to find answers about their identity. Nonetheless, the house has an interesting layout, too.

To contain light in the rooms, one has to close the previous door before unlocking the next door. It’s like a maze and one never knows what’s lurking in the dark. This results in naturalistic scares, and I am glad the filmmakers decided to keep excessive gore and violence out of the equation. What’s more, the reaction from the characters drives the intensity of the tension in some scenes; low whispers, creepy rhymes, footsteps, and minimal light are cleverly employed throughout the film. For the most part, there are no background noises, just a scary, deafening silence. From a story-line perspective, the twist ending in no way destroys the experience. In fact, after watching the film after ten years, I can say the ending adds more to the narrative. Like “The Sixth Sense,” the characters in “The Others” are contained in their own worlds, with a slight connection to the outside world. The boundary drawn by the structure of the story and its characters makes the twist ending all more believable and worthwhile. Moreover, for this type of narrative structure to work, the story should be able to stand on its own, even without the ending. Fortunately, the film’s story doesn’t rely too much on its ending.

“The Others” works exceptionally well in developing a paranormal set of characters, primarily due to exemplary performances from everyone in the cast, but notably from Nicole Kidman. She brings a creepy persona to her character, basking herself rather comfortably in the role of a strict mother. She is intense and serious, and it shows in her every expression. Her anxious behavior further instills a suspenseful tone that enforces the paranormal aspect of Grace’s character. She feels overly responsible for her kids because of their disorder, but sometimes she is unreasonable, too. Grace’s interaction with her daughter Anne shows parental disagreement that exists in the house. Anne is not afraid to question Grace on a couple of occasions, knowing the consequences of her action; Anne is a strong-willed character, and at times we are surprised to see her strength, especially when she unknowingly ventures out in dark places in the house. Indeed, the characters are intricately placed, and that builds the foundation for a spooky mood.

I had issues in the third act when Grace’s husband shows up. Everything from that point onward is way too explicit in answering the questions about the house. I think some of it should have been left to viewers. While some aspects of the revealed secret are intelligent, the climax is too detailed in the explanation. Still, the climax will impress viewers looking for a full closure on the story. This, however, is a minor issue, and the film is solid throughout with its creepy story line. Indeed, “The Others” is an eerie experience, and it remains one of the best psychological thrillers of the last decade.

Video:

“The Others” makes a much-waited debut on Blu-ray, arriving through Lionsgate/ Miramax. The film is encoded in an AVC codec and presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1.  The 1080p may not be crisp, but it very well represents the director’s intent. The film open ups with a lot of grain, but the transfer smoothes out quickly. The film is intentionally soft and hazy at times. Mostly shot in dark interiors, “The Others” retains good shadow detail, with generally solid blacks. In addition, the interiors are not brightly lit, either, and the lamp light is the primary source of light. Still, in spite of challenging lighting conditions, the transfer shows no sign of color imbalance or lack of clarity. The palette mainly consists of subdued colors, and they are often solid. The skin tones are realistic; and the close-ups have good detail. Finally, for the most part, the print is damage free, but white specks pop up for the entire duration, although never distracting.

Audio:

The lossless track is front driven, as the film contains mostly soft conversations and whispers. While the dialogue is smooth, I thought it lacked the crispness that could be achieved through a lossless track. I had to raise the volume, and despite this, on a few occasions the conversations were way too soft. The necessary boast in the audio level is absent. However, the surround channels get a good workout in the climax, with loud, creepy footsteps. The ambience around the house is faithfully represented. Also, the film can be viewed in English and Spanish subtitles.

Extras:

This Blu-ray release carries over all the bonus material from the previous DVD release. “A Look Inside The Others” features interviews with the cast, producers, and director.  They discuss their thoughts on the film’s unique concept, script, and characters. Director Amenabar talks about fantasy and realism in the context of the story. “Visual Effect Piece” sheds more light on the impact of effects and how they were created in the film. In “Xeroderma Pigmentosum: What is it?,” we see sufferers of XP talk about this rare disease. We also get a bonus feature profiling the works of director Alejandro Amenabar, showing him working on location. Finally, there is an original theatrical trailer for the movie.

Parting Thoughts:

“The Others” features a mesmerizing performance from Nicole Kidman, along with fantastic performances from the supporting cast. The concept of a creepy house breathes new life into the suspense genre, as the film is different from other modern, gory horror movies. Even though the film feels like a puzzle, it uses simple, straightforward filmmaking techniques, making it thoroughly entertaining and captivating.