M. Night Shyamalan’s reputation precedes him. When he’s not the director who catastrophically fumbled The Last Airbender, he’s the one expected to consistently deliver an earth-shattering plot twist. For most, nothing will ever compare to The Sixth Sense, a legendary film that skyrocketed his career. But for me, there’s something about Signs, his sci-fi thriller about an alien invasion that coalesces with a personal crisis of faith, that illustrates the poignancy in Shyamalan’s earnest filmography.
In Signs, eerie crop circles mysteriously appear in the cornfields of Graham Hess (Mel Gibson), a former priest in a crisis of faith following the tragic death of his wife. Most people in the town still call him Father, a title he rejects solemnly. His brother Merrill (Joaquin Phoenix) lives with him, and Hess’ two children – Morgan and Bo. The fractured yet loving bonds between the family only intensify from the existential threat, the fear sown from the unknowability. Signs is one of Shyamalan’s most effectively scary films, for how long it takes for us to actually see the aliens. So much of the film jitters with mystery, from the worldwide phenomenon of the crop circles to how the family’s baby monitor creaks with otherworldly messages. The terror of the alien invasion creeps into their world subtly and then inescapably.
Signs is a family drama disguised as a thriller, one that speaks profoundly about forgiveness. It’s slightly overwrought, but only in the endearing way that Shyamalan’s films are. His style is so strange that it doesn’t always work, but when it does, it’s incomparable to anything else in the genres he works in. The film maintains all of his lovable trademarks – the hilarious yet awkward dialogue, inventive cinematography, and the unwavering theme of morality and faith. Signs is wondrous, terrifying, and emotional in only the way Shyamalan can be.
Signs
2002
dir. M. Night Shyamalan
106 min.
Screens Friday, 11/21, 11:59pm @ Coolidge Corner Theatre
Part of the monthlong series: M. Night at Midnight
