Summer Cinema: ‘Signs’
To question is to be human, and three of the questions that seem to be asked the most are “Are we alone in the universe?” and “Is what happens to us fated to happen to us?” and “Is there someone up there watching over us?” These questions are the basis for M. Night Shyamalan’s newest movie “Signs.”
The film focuses on Graham Hess (Mel Gibson), a former reverend who lost his faith in God after his wife was killed in an accident. His brother Merrill (Joaquin Phoenix) moves in to help him care for his two children. After crop circles mysteriously appear in his cornfield, Graham is forced to face all of his fears and questions and re-evaluate where he stands with a higher power and the existence of extraterrestrial life.
This film was truly a delight. It was very funny at times, but at others was suspenseful and almost freaky. Once again Shyamalan proves he is a masterful director and storyteller. He has a gift for involving his viewers with his characters to the point that we feel a part of their lives. We feel their fear, their joy and their sorrow.
One of his gifts is his ability to reflect images off of everyday items like televisions and window panes to provide interesting angles and moods to different shots. His creative uses of light (or the lack thereof) only enrich the storytelling as well as heightening the suspense of the film. One particularly scene is lit only by the flickering screen of a television while another is lit only by a flashlight.
Gibson was great as the doubting Thomas of the film. His fear for the safety of his children clashes with his anger at the loss of his wife and erupts as anger at his fear of losing his children as well.
Perhaps the crux of the film is summed up in a conversation his character has with his brother. He says there are two types of people in the world. The first look for signs and miracles. They also believe someone is watching out for them and guiding their destinies. The other group knows when things happen it is because of fate or luck. Aside from that, they are the only ones responsible for what happens to them. He then says the trick is deciding which group you belong to.
Phoenix also shows why he is one of Hollywood’s most versatile actors. There is none of the arrogant ruler from “Gladiator.” Instead we get a loveable, slightly backward character who is at times more like a child than the two young stars of the film. Maybe it is because of this that he seems to relate better to his brother’s children and is more sensitive to their needs and fears.
Overall, this is one of the better offerings of the summer. Probably the only film to beat it is “Minority Report.” Unlike Shyamalan’s other movies, this one does not have a surprise ending. You can see it coming a mile away, and after the bombshells dropped at the ends of “The Sixth Sense” and “Unbreakable,” that was kind of a disappointment. But whether you are there for the suspense, the humor or to find personal answers the questions “Signs” raises, you are sure to thrill at Shyamalan’s newest flight of fancy.
Grade: A-