The Sixth Sense
Having seen M. Night Shyamalan's The Sixth Sense twice now, I can see why talk of academy awards started strong and early for this movie. Bruce Willis plays Dr. Malcolm Crowe, a child psychologist who specializes in particularly troubled children, and he plays the part well. At once sympathetic and possessive of a wonderful kid quality that helps him relate to his young patients, his work has just been awarded and acknowledged by his home city, Philadelphia. Just when he thinks it's safe to feel good about all he's done, he receives a disturbing visit from a former patient (Donnie Wahlberg--unrecognizable in an incredibly convincing piece of work), that Malcom Crowe's life changes, causing him to re-examine his life's work. Feeling he's failed somehow, he sees a second chance in Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment), an adorable, shy, eight-year old who has secrets he's afraid to share with anyone. His parents divorced, Cole lives with his funny, patient, street-wise mother--played wonderfully by Toni Collette--who is working several jobs to keep them afloat and together.
Malcolm and Cole have numerous sessions in different places (the local Catholic church being a place the boy feels safest), but they make little headway until one harrowing incident which places the terrified boy in a hospital overnight where he finally confesses his secret to Malcolm. He sees "dead people." Not people in the grave, but people who have died and are walking around just like regular people. Dead people that don't know they're dead. Malcolm first worries that the boy is perhaps even more disturbed than he realized until he experiences first hand a small example of what Cole has been going through. Shyamalan puts the viewer on both sides of what's going on so that you see not only what Cole sees, but see what everyone else sees--which is the havoc left behind by Cole's visitors. And if the eight-year old Cole doesn't send chills down your spine with the line, "You know the prickly things on the back of your neck? That's them," nothing will. Unfortunately, while the relationship between Malcolm and Cole grows, the relationship between Malcolm and his wife (Olivia Williams) grows cold. They're barely strangers in passing, and you feel their pain with each agonizing meeting.
Filled with wonderful, believable characters, this is not a scary movie despite how it may come across. It's a story about faith, and love, and patience, and most of all about listening. Paying attention to what's going on around you; to what people are trying to tell you. I was totally and completely surprised by the ending--as was everyone else I know that has seen it. What's wonderful about that is that people have been good about not spilling the beans, something that's rare nowadays. So don't let anyone spoil it for you. You'll be completely amazed, and will find yourself thinking about it long after the theater lights have gone up.