The Others (2001)

Spectral happenings on an estate in the Channel Islands after WWII (no spoilers)

RELEASED IN 2001 and written & directed by Alejandro Amenábar, "The Others" is a haunted house flick about a woman (Nicole Kidman) who lives in an old manor on one of the Channel Islands with her two photosensitive children immediately after WWII. After three people arrive seeking employment, they increasingly become convinced that the abode is haunted.

While this is a fantasy movie in that it depicts supernatural happenings, like doors mysteriously opening and closing, these types of unexplainable things have been known to happen. The movie is a serious exploration of what may really be occurring. The mansion seems sterile and there’s a one-dimensional pale ‘look’ to the bulk of the picture, which was intentional for obvious reasons. Speaking of which, the perpetually fog-laden grounds create a nice ghostly ambiance.

Everything hinges on whether the last act effectively reveals the truth and it does. The film provides intriguing food for thought.

THE MOVIE RUNS 1 hour, 44 minutes and was shot in Cantabria, Spain (exteriors of the mansion); Penshurst, Kent, England (The Lime Walk) and Madrid.

GRADE: B/B-

"Grace" (Nicole Kidman) lives in her almost blacked-out stately pile on Jersey where her two children "Nicholas" (James Bentley) and "Anne" (Alakina Mann) are hyper-sensitive to light. When her staff mysteriously abscond, she has to employ a new housekeeper "Mrs. Mills" (Fionnula Flanagan), and together they must ensure that the children are always locked into a room with no access to any windows that are not shrouded by thick curtains. The suddenly she hears a noise. Maybe a voice, even? She searches in vain but these odd occurrences start to multiply. Their usually fastidious household routines start to unwind, doors are left unlocked and the children start telling their mother of people moving around the house - folks that she cannot see! Just what's going on? Are these happenings connected with "Mills" and the new staff? Great news when husband "Charles" (Christopher Eccleston) returns from the War - shellshocked and distant, or then again - does he actually return at all? "Grace" is becoming increasingly paranoid. She can't tell what's real and what's not - and her children are only fuelling her fears! Although way darker and more sinister, this actually reminded me a little of the "Amazing Mr. Blunden"! A ghostly story that uses children as a conduit between what might have been, or is, or may yet to be. The young Bentley and Mann deliver effectively here as director Alejandro Amenábar uses the dark and creaky house, extensive and frequently misty grounds and a creative sound effects mixer to create a genuine sense of menace. It's very hard to be innovate with this genre, there's just so much we have all seen before, but Kidman paces herself well here delivering a story that's not so predictable as we might have expected.