Sooner or later, they will find you

Yesterday I watched « The Others » and it really reminded me of how much fun watching a movie can be! This is one of the best movies I have seen in the last months, and one of the top horror stories ever told! The story is simple: Grace (Nicole Kidman) is an emphatically religious woman who leaves in a mansion with her two children, both photosensitive. This little detail is great! It makes the film completely opposite to other ghost stories, with Grace not afraid of the dark and actually making sure to keep the light out. This provides the film with a very creepy and dark, yet logical atmosphere. Plus, the mansion is also a creepy place, where every door must be closed and locked before the next can be opened, again to prevent any light from leaking into a room where the children may be. Grace’s husband is off fighting the war (WWII). Out of nowhere enter three domestic servants, apparently arriving to replace the previous ones who have abruptly and mysteriously disappeared one week earlier. Things seem to be going along rather smoothly, except for the fact that the bratty daughter, Anne (Alakina Mann), claims to see and hear others… Then, doors open by themselves, curtains are oddly pulled back, the piano is played with no one in the room to do so… What follows is a series of shocks and scares, directed to make you jump into the arms of the person sitting in front of you or, at least, to clutch the arm of your seat so tight that you might rip it off! “The Others” has a great twist ending, that should shock everyone. I did not see it coming, and I normally do… It works so well, that it left me speechless! Bad timing to stop biting the nails…

Alejandro Amenábar is a very young, yet talented director. He made a revolution in Spanish cinema when he first launched “Tesis”, at only 24 years of age. His second movie, “Abre los Ojos”, immediately put him aside some of the best Spanish directors, like Pedro Almodóvar, Carlos Saura and Fernando Trueba. “The Others” is only his third movie and it clearly shows that he is one of the best in the World. Amenábar not only directed the movie, but he also wrote the screenplay and took care of the amazing score! Nicole Kidman is perfectly cast and gives one of her best performances ever, the two kids are also fantastic and Fionnula Flanagan is also great as Mrs. Mills. All in all, a great movie! If you did the same mistake as me and haven’t seen it yet, run for the DVD, wait for the evening, close the curtains and lock the doors; then, click play and have fun!