M Night Shyamalan’s Lady in the Water is a Good Movie
This mysterious oriental bedtime story is brought to the screen with Hitchcock suspense, and Shyamalan’s own brilliance. A man named Cleveland Heep (Giamatti) runs an apartment complex. He lives in a small shack on the other side of the community swimming pool. He knows everyone’s name. He’s got a mysterious past.
But, nothing is as mysterious as the person or thing that keeps swimming in the pool after hours. One night Cleveland hears splashing noises coming from the pool, and he goes out to investigate. He thinks he sees someone go deep under the water. He dives in, thinking he must save them. Cleveland doesn’t come back out with anything. Some more strange noises scare him, and Cleveland tries race back to his little house. He slips and knocks himself unconscious.
When Cleveland comes to, he discovers a woman with red hair, pale skin, and an innocent look to her saved him from drowning. She’s been watching over him ever since, dressed in one of his ratty shirts. They talk. She’s not a very experienced conversationalist. Her name is Story (Howard), and she comes from the “blue world”.
As time goes on, Cleveland starts to understand her story. He questions all of the residence of the apartment complex. An oriental girl and her mother tell him about the myth of the sea nymph, and the monsters that keep them from leaving the blue world. This wolf-like beast is stalking Story, ready to do anything to keep her from returning to the water.
According to the tale, there is only one thing that can stop it, and one thing that can whisk her away and take her back. Cleveland ends up having to recruit everyone he can just to bring this thing down from the heavens, and get her home.
The story in this film challenges modern beliefs. At times, it’s hard not to compare the myths and legends of the sea nymph to that of mermaids. But, you almost have to consider the fact that we’ve seen and heard everything possible about the Greek mythology, and enjoy something different for a change.
Sadly, the setup and execution of this tale doesn’t have the sharp impact of what Shyamalan did with Signs or The Sixth Sense. In those films, we understood the plot all too clearly. Shyamalan had us jumping out of our seats even when we knew it was coming. In Lady in The Water, we get so caught up in trying to understand the tale of Story and her blue world, and all of the people trying to help her, those scary moments are overshadowed.
All-in-all, Lady in The Water is a well made bedtime story with surprises, twists, and a few good jokes here and there. It’s got some solid performances – even from the director himself. The film isn’t the worst Shyamalan tale, but it’s not his best either. But, if you’re looking for a good time at the movies, learning about something new, you won’t be disappointed with Lady in The Water.
