Reel Critics

Ray Buffer

Alejandro Amenabar’s “The Others” is truly a showcase of plot twists.

Just when you think you have it figured out, you have not. Amenabar’s

first international mainstream outing brings back the suspenseful,

gore-free horror genre that has been recently reflected in such films as

“What Lies Beneath” and “The Sixth Sense.”

Filmed in Spain, but set in the Channel Islands, every detail of

production is meticulous in its execution. Nicole Kidman is perfectly

perplexing as the mother of two children, played masterfully by James

Bentley and Alakina Mann.

Kidman’s character is very devout in her faith and belief in standing

up for principles, but finds that belief to be hollow when confronted

with her own regret that her husband went to fight in a war because of

his principles.

Bentley’s expressive forehead, and vulnerable voice coupled by Mann’s

witty rants as the older sister, provide delicious levity to a very

bleak, foreboding environment. The seasoned actress, Fionnula Flanagan,

who plays the new nanny, provides depth and dread in her perfectly

constructed sound bytes thanks in part to the superb writing. The ironies

are rich in this film, and provide a springboard for post-movie

conversation about beliefs, death and the afterlife. To tell you much

more of the story would lead to spoilers.

As good as it is, you might appreciate the film more on video. Why

would I praise a film and then tell you to wait and watch it at home?

Because this is the type of film you really want to see without

distraction. When I saw it, my attention was split between the group of

ladies behind me who had to discuss every suspenseful moment, and the guy

with his girlfriend in front of me. He was continually trying to modify

the film by providing extra scares for his companion.

The soundtrack for the film is minimal. This is actually a refreshing

change from many films, which seem to feel that music is required at all

times. There are many, many moments when the director intended for dead

silence. Unfortunately those moments are left in the hands of the

audience you see it with. I would encourage you to try to attend this

feature during the first matinee of the day, and keep moving around the

auditorium until you have a radius of seats all to yourself. That way you

will have a ghost of a chance of enjoying the best film I have seen this

summer.

* RAY BUFFER, 31, is a professional singer, actor and voice-over

artist.