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8.9/10
FilmFascination Rating
I first saw ‘The Sixth Sense’ about three to four years ago, when I had just started exploring movies. I was impressed by this film. But if you haven’t seen the film, I don’t want you to read any further. I try my best to discuss films without giving spoilers, but in this case, it won’t be possible.
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Please avoid reading this if you haven’t seen the film. I wouldn’t want to spoil the experience you could have had otherwise.
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The Sixth Sense was released more than 25 years ago – in 1999. What a year that must have been (I wasn’t even born then). Star Wars made its comeback with its part 1: The Phantom Menace (4th of its 6 main movies). Then there was The Matrix, The Mummy, and even Fight Club. The Sixth Sense back then was a contender that no one expected to be.
I remember the gasp I had when I first watched the film. Well, I love it when that happens. Because that is what you remember with a film – the experience. After all these years, I obviously did not remember the details of the scenes, but what I remembered was how I felt. I did feel it today as well. Since I knew all the secrets, I was a little hesitant to watch this film again because I thought I wouldn’t enjoy it. But surprisingly, I did, and you know what it was? It was the acting.
Haley Joel Osment is perfect as Cole. He authentically captures what a child would feel if he saw dead people. It isn’t that he is childish or scared; rather, he is mature. This maturity is evident in scenes where he comforts his mother, saying, ‘You go back to sleep now, mama,’ when she has a bad dream. He feels fear, but as a natural human response to the unknown. Even his conversations with Mr. Crowe reflect a maturity that stands out. This is the main reason we, as the audience, feel curious and open to understanding what is really happening with him.
He is well supported by Toni Collette, who plays a mother eager to help her young child. She simply doesn’t want him to suffer any longer. We can sense that from her. The scene in the car is executed very well by both of them. The pretense may follow the same tale of a parent secretly watching their child’s dance, but it has never been this touching. Bruce Willis is also excellent as a compassionate psychologist who genuinely wants to assist his patients. Surprisingly, he isn’t the usual Willis you see in movies like Pulp Fiction or Die Hard. This is a much calmer role, and he performs splendidly, as if he were meant for it. My favorite moment with him is when Cole tells him, “How can you help me if you don’t believe me?” These small touches that the cast brings elevate this movie. They help us connect with these characters. That is what made me enjoy it the second time, even though I already knew the plot.
I have to admit that Shyamalan did a great job with this movie. The pace of the film moves up and down, but from mid-way, I didn’t even realise when I had reached the end. It is pure masterful writing and a screenplay. I’ll soon talk about it in detail.
Now, about the end being predictable – I don’t think so. For people who predicted the twist, that was because you knew there was one. Still, things like these are always going to be subjective. But I think Shyamalan did very well with carrying the technicalities before we understand that Mr. Crowe is dead. In the second watch, I observed that Crowe never talked with anyone other than Cole. There were moments where we thought he was talking with his wife, like the dinner scene. But wishing ‘Happy Anniversary’ is a normal tendency of a human to do when they miss someone. Those are things that the screenplay catches- human grief, regret, and pain. It isn’t a horror movie. These emotions give much more depth to it. Crowe finally asks the question, “What do these ghosts want?” – a logical question that we never get from the cliché horrors.
Well, Shyamalan does find these nitty gritty to get away with distracting us from the ending twist. But that is fine, because we as viewers don’t feel betrayed at any point in time. Honestly, the things were all in front of me, but still I was blindsided. Perhaps it is like what the movie says – “They see what they want to see”. Perhaps I did the same. I mean, Cole literally says ‘I see dead people’ and the camera pans to Crowe’s face. Still, I didn’t catch on to it.
It has one of the most famous twists in cinema history because it all makes sense. We see Crowe’s wife mourning in the end, but throughout the movie, we perceive this as a troubled marriage. We sense that Crowe has returned to work to help the child in place of the one he couldn’t help. However, it is this unfinished business that makes him a ghost. The thing is that the story quickly draws our attention to Cole’s narrative, causing us to naturally push the previous scenes into the background. When our focus finally returns to Crowe, that’s when we finally take off our blindfolds. Everything just fits perfectly, and that is beautiful to see.
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