Shyamalan's auteuristic approach towards signs - Signs Reviews

M. Night Shyamalan is more than just the director of Signs; he is the screenwriter and producer of the film as well. Shyamalan is known for his creativity and uniqueness. He is involved in almost every aspect of the film and is devoted to it. He was also the director/writer in Praying with Anger (1998), The Sixth Sense (1999), and Unbreakable (2000). After viewing these films one can find a consistent style in Shyamalan?s movies and they are also present in his most recent film, Signs (2002). I would like to discuss some of the recurrent themes we find in these films. First of all, Shyamalan seems to be concerned with relationships in the midst of conflicts. In Signs, Mel Gibson plays Graham Hess, a former minister who losses his faith after his wife died in a car accident. Graham has to raise his two children with the help of his younger brother, Merill (played by Joaquin Phoenix). Shyamalan focuses on the relationship between this family in the middle of a crisis involving a possible alien invasion. Many viewers were disappointed with the film because they did not understand that the film was not really about aliens invading the world. The film is truly about the relationship between Graham and his children who are trying to overcome the loss of their mother and the loss of their father?s faith. In The Sixth Sense Shyamalan also deals with several relationships which are shaken because of Cole?s special gift. There is a conflict between husband and wife, son and mother, and also a conflict between the doctor and his patient (one could also say that Malcolm serves as a father figure for Cole). In Unbreakable the relationship problems are also between husband and wife, and father and son. In these struggling relationships there is usually a supernatural event involved that builds up the suspense in the movie, but these events are not the key theme of Shyamalan?s films. These events are the means to solving the relationships, but the fundamental theme is the relationship itself. In The Sixth Sense the relationships are strengthened after Cole finds out how he can use his gift in a positive way. In Unbreakable they are strengthened after David finds out that he has a special power and a purpose in life. Signs is another great example of this because the relationship between Graham and his children is strengthened after he rediscovers his faith and finds out that everything happens for a reason. Shyamalan is trying to send a positive message to his audience by telling them that every relationship can be strengthened if we truly believe that everything happens for a reason- even the bad things. We just have to learn how to read those ?signs? that the director includes in all his films, which leads me to my next point. Shyamalan is well known in all his films for having surprising endings. This is probably his best known personal stamp. He ends his films with a twist and then uses flashbacks to show the audience all the clues that were given to them along the way. These clues (or signs) are given to the audience so that they can participate in the film. One has to pay close attention to the signs that are given to us in the films in order to understand the ending. The ending is surprising because we have missed the clues that were given to us along the way and not because Shyamalan has been withholding information from us. Everything we needed to know to not be surprised in the end was there all along, but we missed those signs and that is why the ending is surprising. All Shyamalan has to do is show flashbacks in order for us to see everything we missed. He is trying to teach his audience that in order to see his films they must become involved in the film and learn how to read those signs. The Sixth Sense is a great example of this because the pieces of the puzzle were there all along, but at the end of the film most of us were surprised because we were not able to put those pieces together. The scene where Cole tells Malcolm his secret is an important piece of the puzzle because Cole is talking about him as well, but we don?t realize this until we see the end of the film, and only then do we find out that we were not actively involved in the film as we should have been. This is why we go back and try to watch the movie for a second time in order to catch all the clues that were given to us along the way. After we realize that the signs were there we understand that we were not cheated, we simply put the pieces of the puzzle in the wrong places. Many people might disagree with me and say that Signs did not have a twisted ending, but why did so many people leave disappointed at the end? Many were hoping to see more aliens and more action. But the truth of the matter is that the film was never about the aliens. Shyamalan has been giving us signs along the way and trying to tell us the real meaning of the film, which was that everything happens for a reason. Graham understands this at the end and rediscovers his faith once he understands that his wife?s death happened for a reason. Once he realizes this, he is able to strengthen his relationship with his family and with God. The signs were there all along, he just had to learn how to read them, and so do we. Shyamalan once said that his ?biggest fear in life is to be average.? I do not think that he has to worry about that because he has been very original in his work and has had success with it. He has proved that he does not have to be violent in order to scare his audience.