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

Nicole Kidman originally tried to persuade Alejandro Amenábar and the Weinstein brothers to find another actress for the part. Coming off the bright and exuberant Moulin Rouge!, the actress was initially reluctant to do a film that explored such dark places.

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Goofs

While walking in the fog, Grace's hands are very red from the cold when she puts them on her husband's neck. In the next shot they are much whiter, then back to red again.

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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

Featured in Nicole Kidman: An American Cinematheque Tribute (2003)

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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

A Beautiful Drama Entangled in Intense Thrills and Chills

It's funny that I see this movie the way I do, perhaps I'm more perceptive to little dramatic, human touches, but I saw this movie and was satisfied with it. In fact, I fell in love with it. This movie is chilling, very spooky, with a few moments that will make you jump, but it's a movie that works itself up, and by the end of the movie you feel scared, and like someone has zapped you a few times, chilly from inside out, but fulfilled.

People have been comparing this to "Sixth Sense". Though the movie may share similarities, this stands on it's own. It's content is not trying to send a message, except for a universal theme that you want to grasp onto. There is historical and religious content, purely in context for the twists and turns and nuances to make this film so complete in every aspect. Everything works so well. This movie takes pride in each scene, and each is set up so that you get the most of it. Everything relates to everything, you are given clues the entire movie, but it's set up so masterfully the ending is the suprise you've been waiting for.

The performance by Kidman and the two children are one of a kind. It's a realistic interaction between siblings and a controlling, dysfunctional, but loving mother. The acting and writing (the script) is so well done, it adds for scattered scenes that will, hopefully, stick around with you for a long time. There's this one beautiful scene in the movie, it's where Grace (Nicole Kidman) is hugging her son, and her daughter (who is slightly estranged from her mom) runs up and hugs her, and there this look of absolute release on the face of Grace. Another great scene is when Grace carries her rifle around the house (shoot the ghost!), and she's desperately trying to protect her house and children. There are more like that, so keep your eyes open.

The cinematography is innovative and brilliant, camera angles and the lighting set everything up so well. The lighting is very important as well, in fact, the subject of "light" is so well mixed into the story, the dark feels safer and more secure than the light does. There are times when you long for the darkness, just as the characters long for the darkness (due to a part of the plot including a health condition of the children, which serves a basis for the mental thrill fest to come). To finish off this concoction, try to listen to the score, because it's very fitting.

This is more of a drama than a thriller, though it deserves to be a thriller (it's scary), but the power of it's dramatic side comes bursting through. This is a beautiful movie, it has overtones of a more serious side, and it's a movie that hardly belongs in the horror section because of it's beauty, but it's too darned eerie, weird, and chilling to fit anywhere else.