SIGNS

US, 2002, 106 minutes, Colour.
Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Rory Culkin, Cherry Jones, Abigail Breslin, M.Night Shyamalan
Directed by M.Night Shyamalan

Writer-director, M Night Shyamalan, has an intriguing cultural background. He comes from an Indian Hindu family but was educated in the United States in a Catholic school. He also immersed himself in movie culture and made his first feature film in his early 20s. However, he surprised the film world and entertained audiences in 1999 with The Sixth Sense, a box-office success everywhere. It was even nominated for an Oscar for Best Film and Haley Joel Osment as Best Actor. He followed it with the eerie Unbreakable. Both films starred Bruce Willis.

In Signs he stays with an eerie world, crop circles in the fields outside Philadelphia - and all over the world. While Signs indicates an alien invasion and the terrifying consequences of their trying to 'harvest' humans, Shyamalan wants his title to indicate that we should be alert to what we might call providence in our world. Can we discern the meanings in what might seem random or what might seem coincidental?

Shyamalan can create atmospheric fear, even terror. By concentrating principally on the farmhouse and the fields while bringing in news from the outside world via television, he encloses the audience in the dilemmas of the family, sometimes giving us frights, sometimes highlighting strange associations, especially with water, always probing the mysterious events.

Mel Gibson gives a solidity to the film. What is of great interest is that he is an Episcopalian priest who has lost his faith because of the seemingly arbitrary death of his wife in a road accident. He does not want to talk about prayer any more. He feels disillusioned with God. As the crop signs appear, he has to deal with his fears, especially for his son and daughter and for his brother who has come to live with the family. He and his brother discuss the comfort of faith, the meaning of being lucky and unlucky. As with Shyamalan other films, a young boy is central to the plot. This time it is Rory Culkin as Gibson's asthmatic son. The director's films concern father-son relationships, death and grief, as well as discovering one's powers.

Perhaps the ending is too pat as some have complained, especially reviewers who seem unsympathetic to happy endings, especially where faith and religion are concerned. While it is not essential to the film, it is interesting to look at Mel Gibson's performance given his own religious background and his interpretation of faith. It is right to call it 'a supernatural thriller'.

1. The work of the director? His interests, the supernatural, Catholic and Hindu backgrounds? The Episcopalian setting?

2. The atmosphere of Pennsylvania, the farms and the fields, the roads, the small town, the farmer's house? Exteriors? Interiors used for frightening effect? The atmospheric musical score?

3. The title and its reference to the crop circles, to the aliens coming, the map for the aliens? The universal significance of signs of faith, coincidence, providence? Graham's wife's advice, "See"?

4. The themes of faith: Episcopalian ministry, priesthood, service of the people? The giving up of ministry, the loss of faith? Graham's encounter with Tracey at the pharmacists, her wanting reassurance at the end of the world? Merrill and his wanting comfort? Faith and Graham's wife, the accident, her death? Seeing? His anger, the passing of six months with the loss of faith, Caroline calling him "father" and his resistance? His talk with Merrill about luck, fear and hope, handling the unknown? The renewal of faith, Morgan's lungs, able to breathe and be saved, the end and going back to ministry?

5. The conversation about luck and providence, coincidence? Merrill wanting comfort? Two types of people, those who hope, those who fear? His refusing to pray?

6. The opening, the eeriness of Graham waking, the children in the fields, the corn, Merrill and his hurrying with Graham? The noise, the field, the circles? The overhead shots of the circles? The later challenge, the theory of the hoax?

7. Graham and is situation, his dead wife, his mourning her, his relationship to the children, the edginess with his son, his love for his daughter? Merrill living with them? The importance of family bonds? The aliens, Morgan getting the book on aliens and UFOs? The reading of the book, trying to interpret the aliens, watching the television? The meals, the fear? The way that the family was filmed, the angles?

8. Caroline and her work for the police, the neighbours and their troubles, calling Graham "father", the questions and her antagonism towards Merrill and his sarcasm? The mystery of the dogs barking and their aggressive attitudes? The memories of the past, her handling the accident situation, her gentleness and sincerity with Graham?

9. Merrill and his place in the town, baseball, his record, a great hitter, but erratic? His living at home, working in the gas station? His reading? His bat on the wall - for later use? An intelligent man, earnest, admiration for his brother? Watching the television, becoming obsessed with the aliens, the fear? Joining the children with the material on the head to avoid the aliens reading their minds? His vote to stay at home?

10. Ray Reddy and the family watching him from the pizza restaurant, the mystery about him, his car, his phone call to Graham? Graham going to his house, the car loaded, Ray leaving, his explanation about what happened on the road, his sorrow and apology? His indication about aliens and water, locking the alien in his kitchen? The importance of this conversation for Graham's faith?

11. Graham and his scepticism, thinking it was a hoax, thinking the neighbours had destroyed his crops? Running round the house with Merrill, calling Caroline, the book, Ray, the water theory? His being outvoted in staying at home, his going to Ray's house, seeing the hand, injuring the alien? The final meal and not wanting a grace, his anger, embracing Morgan and the whole family? Boarding up the house, going into the cellar, his despair about the night, the torch? The television, the radio and the news? Coming out, seeing the alien in the television screen, the struggle, Morgan and the poison, his lungs and his finally being able to breathe?

12. The importance of television, everybody watching, the crops, the lights over various cities, Mexico? Brazil and the party, the glimpse of the alien? The possibilities that the invasion was friendly, hostile? The television as supplying information? The reassurances at the end?

13. The aliens themselves, generally invisible, the glimpse of them? The crops and the circles as map for the invasion, harvesting the humans, poisoning? The struggles, Graham and his fight? The final alien with the missing finger, his wife's last words, Merrill with the baseball bat and swinging out?

14. Graham confronting the alien, confronting himself, his faith? Morgan's lungs and his prayer?

15. The going back to ordinary life, having experienced the menace of the aliens? God's presence at the end?