The Others (2001)

A woman who lives in a darkened old house with her two photosensitive children becomes convinced that her family home is haunted.

Director:

Alejandro Amenábar

Writer:

Alejandro Amenábar

Stars:

Nicole Kidman, Fionnula Flanagan, Christopher Eccleston

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 23 wins & 36 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Nicole Kidman	...	Grace Stewart
Fionnula Flanagan	...	Mrs. Bertha Mills
Christopher Eccleston	...	Charles Stewart
Alakina Mann	...	Anne Stewart
James Bentley	...	Nicholas Stewart
Eric Sykes	...	Mr. Edmund Tuttle
Elaine Cassidy	...	Lydia
Renée Asherson	...	Old Lady
Gordon Reid	...	Assistant
Keith Allen	...	Mr. Marlish
Michelle Fairley	...	Mrs. Marlish
Alexander Vince	...	Victor Marlish
Ricardo López	...	Second Assistant
Aldo Grilo	...	Gardener

Storyline

A woman named Grace retires with her two children to a mansion on Jersey, towards the end of the Second World War, where she's waiting for her husband to come back from battle. The children have a disease which means they cannot be touched by direct sunlight without being hurt in some way. They will live alone there with oppressive, strange and almost religious rules, until she needs to hire a group of servants for them. Their arrival will accidentally begin to break the rules with unexpected consequences.

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Plot Keywords:

servant | mansion | sunlight | disease | mute | 

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Taglines:

How do you keep them out, when they've already invited themselves in?

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements and frightening moments

Details

Official Sites:

Central Partnership [ru] Official Facebook

Country:

USA Spain France Italy

Language:

English French

Release Date:

10 August 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Darkness

Filming Locations:

Jersey, Channel Islands

Box Office

Budget:

$17,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$249,485 (Belgium) (18 January 2002)

Gross:

$61,291,152 (Europe) (1 February 2002)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cruise/Wagner Productions, Sociedad General de Cine (SOGECINE) S.A., Las Producciones del Escorpión S.L.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In a pivotal scene, Grace finds a photograph album containing pictures of people she believed to be sleeping. Mrs. Mills informs her they're all deceased, and that people photographed the deceased in the previous (19th) century. In reality, people did photograph their deceased loved ones during the late 19th century. Most were photographed lying down, as if in a deep sleep; others would be propped up in chairs, posed with favorite objects (children with favorite playthings; adults with books or newspapers), or standing up, with the help of special frames or supports.

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Goofs

While Grace is searching for the missing curtains, Anne and Nicholas argue while Anne draws. Her drawing goes back and forth, being less complete when the camera is beside her, and more complete when it is beside Nicholas.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Grace: Now children, are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin... This story started many thousands of years ago, and it was all over in just 7 days. All that long long time ago, none of the things we can see now, the sun, the moon, the stars, the earth, the animals and plants, not a single one existed. Only God existed. And so only he could have created them. And he did.

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Crazy Credits

Before the opening credits or music begin, we hear Grace's voice over a black screen; she says (in the manner of a mother about to tell a bedtime story), "Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin."

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Connections

References The Sixth Sense (1999)

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Soundtracks

"I Only Have Eyes for You"
(1934)
Music by Harry Warren
Lyrics Al Dubin
Sung a cappella by Nicole Kidman (uncredited)
Published by WB Music Corp. (ASCAP)

User Reviews

Perfect.... a master at work

Alejandro Amenábar is a very young and talented director, born in Chile and raised in Spain. He revolutionized Spanish cinema when he arrived on the scene with Thesis, at only 24 years of age. The came Abre los ojos, a very powerful second film that immediately put him aside some of the leading directors there, like Pedro Almodóvar, Carlos Saura, or Fernando Trueba. The others is only his third film and you can now see a hint of who may become one of the best around in a couple of years (he's only 29).

The best comparison I can make of this film is to a piece of clockwork. Precise, exact, nothing is gratuitous or excessive.... What a subtle charm this film works on you as a spectator. The screenplay is one of the best of this genre I have seen in the last few years, very carefully revised and misleading, yet at the end everything makes perfect sense, not the mention on the second time you watch it.

It is true that many of the film's features and details may be traced to classic films of the genre, but there is nothing wrong with that. The director himself said it was an homage to directors like Alfred Hitchcock (to whom he has been compared somewhat prematurely.... he may reach such height but he still has a long road to walk). That is one of the great things about the film; it takes the best of the genre, the best that has been made by the best directors... it's a film lover's delight.

I had never thought Nicole Kidman could have been at the height of the project, as I really have never considered her a great actress. All I can say is I am still dumbfounded by her extraordinary performance... really, a large percentage of the film's success can be related to her. Sober and discreet when needed, yet grand all the same... It does remind some of the most elegant names of classic Hollywood cinema like the Bette Davis of All about Eve or the Katharine Hepburn of The African queen. But it would be really selfish to give her all the credit when she was supported by an extraordinary cast. Fionnula Flanagan (the sweet old lady from Waking Ned Devine) is trully magnificent as the governess, Mrs. Mills, and very surprising performances of a mute and an old gardener are given by Elaine Cassidy and Eric Sykes. The children (Alakina Mann and James Bentley) are also fantastic.

Finally, I cannot but mention the crew of the film. It is even a more fantastic job when you consider that the film (many people don't realize this) is chiefly a Spanish production. The production design by Benjamín Fernández and specially the cinematography by Javier Aguirresarobe are extraordinary. Just as in the best painting of figures like Goya or Rembrandt, light and shadow reveal the objects and the people.

I do not hesitate to say that this is really one of the best films of the year 2001. I am still waiting to watch Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain, La stanza del figlio, The shipping news, The hours and Italiensk for begyndere, but I know it will remain amongst those at the top. A 10/10 is really fair for a film that has it all, a perfect machinery that arrives at a time when we seriously need intelligent films and not blockbuster deceptions. I can only say I hope its director won't jump to Hollywood in search of big-time projects that waste his potential.

It is a film to feast on.. to savour, to enjoy, to remember....