The Others

[Younger Brother]

Posted: 1/1/14 at 6:43pm

I'm curious to know..what people think of the movie, The Others with Nicole Kidman? I personally found it terrifying and was shocked with the twist the first time I saw it.

[NoName3]

Posted: 1/1/14 at 7:06pm

I enjoyed the film, thought it was well done in all departments and experienced some pleasurable chills -- but that plot twist or variations of it have been done often enough that I suspected it might be coming less than half-way through.

"Dearest, how can this be so,
You were dead, you know...."

Updated On: 1/1/14 at 07:06 PM

[bobs3]

Posted: 1/1/14 at 7:55pm

I too enjoyed the movie and thought Nicole Kidman was excellent but when Christopher Eccleston showed up as her husband and then disappeared, I knew what the ending plot twist would be. Seen it before in THE SIXTH SENSE and other films.

[east side story]

Posted: 1/1/14 at 8:24pm

One of Kidman's Top 5 performances.

[best12bars]

Posted: 1/1/14 at 9:06pm

Love this movie! One of my favorites to watch at Halloween, and I agree that Nicole's performance is excellent.

I love ghost stories, haunted houses, etc., and this movie ranks right up there with the best of that genre.

[trentsketch]

Posted: 1/1/14 at 9:28pm

It's honestly one of my favorite horror films. Good Gothic horror is very rare and original Gothic horror written for the screen even rarer. I think Nicole Kidman had a better chance of winning an Oscar for The Others than Moulin Rouge, but the scale of Moulin Rouge and box office success sealed that deal.

[NoName3]

Posted: 1/1/14 at 9:37pm

I wanted to add to after re-reading my earlier comment that when I said "well done in all departments" but with a predictable twist, I wasn't damning with faint praise. Even with a possibly predictable plot turn, the acting (especially Kidman), the direction, editing, writing, costume design, set design, photography, etc., are all just first rate and I've recommended this film to several people. It's incredibly fine and atmospheric, among the very best in its genre. Younger Brother, I completely understand how affected you were.

Updated On: 1/2/14 at 09:37 PM

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 1/1/14 at 10:02pm

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 1/1/14 at 10:10pm

The twist is predictable to the point of being ridiculous, but the way the plot gets there, Nicole Kidman showing a real old fashioned leading lady star quality more than ever before, Fionnula Flanagan's witty performance, and the amazingly beautiful scene in which Kidman meets Christopher Eccleston in the mist make it very memorable.

[HBP]

Posted: 1/1/14 at 10:34pm

Totally agree, henrikegerman. Loved Nicole's performance, but the story itself felt contrived. I was especially disappointed as I am in love with another Amenábar film - The Sea Inside (Mar adentro). The same director wrote, directed, produced, edited & composed the music for the film. Javier Bardem is freaking amazing in it and Belén Rueda is fantastic, as well.

Speaking of horror films and Belén Rueda, has anyone seen The Orphanage/El orfanato? Another great Spanish film.

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 1/1/14 at 11:15pm

Kidman looks so much like Grace Kelly in this film.

Updated On: 1/2/14 at 11:15 PM

[SNAFU]

Posted: 1/2/14 at 12:42am

"Sometimes, I bleed."

[best12bars]

Posted: 1/2/14 at 7:41am

I think if we know the twist in advance, it actually makes the movie sadder and scarier for the main characters. The movie isn't about the twist, and I agree that most people could (and probably should) see it coming a mile away.

If that ruins the story for you, I think your expectations of what it is (or should be) are off the mark.

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 1/2/14 at 7:54am

Ebert's review of this movie was one of his more annoying ones. (To me, at least)

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 1/2/14 at 8:33am

Add me to the pile of adorers. It's a movie the twist to which -- whether you guess it correctly on first view or not -- makes it even richer, like "The Usual Suspects" (and unlike "The Sixth Sense").

[Roscoe]

Posted: 1/2/14 at 8:45am

A good atmospheric ghost story, impeccably done on all counts. I forget where in the film I realized what was going on, but it was a good deal further in than in other films I can name, and it never felt like a cheap gimmick.

[broadway86]

Posted: 1/2/14 at 10:10am

One of my favorite contemporary horror movies. Kidman is really wonderful, it's some of her best work. Creepy, wonderfully crafted, with a fair share of iconic moments and scenes.

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 1/2/14 at 8:55pm

great movie... wonderful child actors too... i found the little boy quite talented

[SNAFU]

Posted: 1/2/14 at 9:14pm

This is perhaps the only movie Kidman has done where I can actually watch her! I didn't see the twist coming the first time through. When it did, it made the whole movie that much richer. I have since seen it about 6 times and enjoy the ride each time.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 1/3/14 at 12:05am

I also love this movie.

*Spoiler (just on the extremely slim chance that somebody who hasn't seen this movie by this point is perusing this thread)*



In terms of the twist I think that most people saw the aspect concerning everyone who showed up at the house during the movie (the servants and the husband), but I will admit that the fact that Kidman and the children were also dead did catch me.

I love ghost stories that rely on atmosphere and story telling to make me feel unsettled as opposed to just trying to use gross out and shock tactics to provide the thrills.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 1/3/14 at 7:10am

Yes...after all that plastic surgery anyone would look like Grace Kelly.

Tee hee!

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 1/3/14 at 7:17am

She had plastic surgery back in 2001? I thought that was more recent.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 1/3/14 at 7:39am

Uh huh