DC Premier of Lady in the Water 19 July, 2006

Monday night I attended the DC premier of M. Night Shyamalan’s Lady in the Water. I know, life is dolce… but really, what else is Jameson supposed to do on a weekday evening?

Besides an immediate ‘good’ or ‘bad’ judgment, I do not enjoy talking about well-done movies immediately after seeing them, because reflection usually leads to a better analysis. However, my date, who works for Warner Bros. Studios and was the reason for my attendance, was a good candidate to share an evening car ride review of the film.

First of all, it is incredibly different than advertised. Not particularly a horror film, it is much more a psychological thriller showing a symbolic conflict between good and evil. This is common with Shyamalan’s work, however there was no little girl in the movie at all, and the words “Who’s afraid of the big, bad wolf…” - as heard in the TV previews, is never spoken. The creatures are also not wolves - but I won’t give any more away. The actor Paul Giamatti was marvelous, and I hated even the idea of seeing Sideways… so that surprised me because I did not expect to like him in this… at all. Overall, Lady in the Water is an ambitious film that tries to incorporate a fantastical fairytale with depressed, suburban life in an apartment complex. In so doing, it forces the audience to examine their subconscious perceptions of good and evil, while giving them visuals of mystical creatures. If you are not expecting a horror film, it is worth seeing – and my recommendations are worth taking.

After seeing the film, I began thinking about the trend in Hollywood lately to make films that seem to show a battle between good and bad or light and darkness. The “good’ is always a relatable, human character or group and the “bad” is always a powerful force, person, or group that is not easy to understand. It seems to reflect an inherent belief in America lately that there is a good and evil in the world, something that has greatly pronounced the United States as a somewhat fundamental, overzealous nation amongst much of the international community. The belief in an evil force that is fantastical, biblical or mythical in nature – and then translating it to the “unseen” threat of terrorism – has enabled the world’s most powerful government to begin a crusade against unstable regions, who they see as places that can be reshaped for America’s (and capitalism’s) advantage. Just a thought – now go out to the movies. Lady in the Water hits theatres July 21.