The Others (2001)

Theatrical release Poster

In Jersey, The Channel Islands of year 1945, starts the story of a Catholic mother named Gracie Stewart (Nicole Kidman) together with her two little children Anne (Alakina Mann) and Nicholas (James Bentley).

Three servants arrived at their house – Mrs. Mills (Fionnulla Flanagan) as their new nanny and housekeeper, Mr. Tuttle (Eric Sykes) as their new gardener and Lydia (Elaine Cassidy) a young mute girl, as their new maid. They were told about the condition of the children that they cannot be exposed to any light stronger than a candle, the reason why they are also home-schooled and Gracie serves as their teacher.

Bizarre happenings were felt at the time the servants arrived.  Gracie felt that something was wrong and it became stronger when Anne said she was seeing other people and there was a boy named Victor living in the house.  She also drew a picture of four people—a man and a woman, the young boy named Victor and an old woman whom she claimed that she sees the most.  Gracie searched the entire house with a shotgun to look for the “intruders”, she thought that Anne was just inventing it to scare her little brother Nicholas until she heard the piano play by itself inside an empty room. She also found some post-mortem photograph. She asked Mrs. Mills to burn them because she felt uncomfortable with them inside their house.

Gracie searching for the "intruders"

Gracie then went out to get a priest and have their house blessed. A heavy and thick fog welcomed her that has been there longer than it has been it should be. She then lost herself and accidentally found her husband Charles (Christopher Eccleston) whom she thought died in the war. They then went back to the mansion but Charles was not himself and was always alone in the room.

Anne and Gracie fitting the dress

Meanwhile, Gracie gave her daughter a bride-looking dress that she sewed herself for Anne’s communion.  Gracie left and let Anne enjoy her dress for a few more minutes. When she came back, she saw the old woman (Renée Asherson) that Anne drew in her daughter’s dress and attacked it not knowing that she attacked Anne instead. Anne then became distant to her mother. Mrs. Mills told Anne that she was also seeing the intruders but must not tell her mother because she said that Gracie was not yet ready for it.

Anne told her father about what happened. Gracie explained to him that it was not Anne that she saw that’s why she attacked it. Charles then said that he was going back to the military. She told him that the war has already ended but he still left the next morning.

Gracie was awakened one morning by the screams of her children when they found out that the curtains that protect them from sunlight was nowhere in sight. She blamed the servants from removing it and commanded them to help her look for it. She hid her children in a safe room and searched for the curtains while holding a shotgun. She then thinks that they are the cause of the disappearance of the curtains and castes them out.

Post-mortem Photograph of the servants

Anne and Nicholas sneaked out that night to find their father and stumble into the graves of their servants, who then suddenly appeared. This was also the time where Gracie found a post-mortem photograph of their servants. In the yard, the children ran back to the mansion with Gracie already outside holding a shotgun. She tried to shoot them but misses and Mrs. Mills told her instead that they were already killed by tuberculosis for more than half a century ago. Gracie ran back to the house and locked the door, Anne told her that they saw their servants’ graves and should not open the door. Gracie then told the children to go hide upstairs. The servants, outside the door, told her that they must learn to live together, “the living and the dead”. Gracie shouted at them that they should “leave them in peace”. The children then hid upstairs in a closet. Downstairs, the servants told the truth: the intruders are actually inside the house and they are the one who took the curtains. Mrs. Mills also said that “sooner or later they’ll find you”.

The old woman found the children. They then learned that the old woman is a communicator of spirits of the dead (a medium) and discovered that they were the ghosts and not the intruders. 

the "Intruders/ Vistors"

It was also revealed that Gracie killed her own children and then committed suicide. Gracie cannot believe with what she was seeing and attacked the “intruders” by ripping the papers on the table with force. She then realized and remembered everything: before the servants came, she went insane because of her missing husband and frustrations that lead her to kill her own children with a pillow then puts the shotgun in her forehead and pulled the trigger. She thought everything was fine after that and was thinking that they were given another chance to live. Mrs. Mills also told Gracie that they’ll learn to get along together with the living and sometimes forget that there are other people inside their house. The children can now be exposed to sunlight since they do not have their sensitive condition anymore.

On a window, Gracie and the children were looking outside. Victor’s family then moved out. The gate of the mansion was shown with a sign of “For Sale” in it.

Gracie and the children on the window

For Sale sign outside the mansion

Under the Structuralist Film Theory and based on how it was described, the film was basically and mostly based on it. It conveys meanings through shots which is great for films since it is a visual type of medium and thus needs a “Show don’t tell” type of acts. It has some formalist film theory in it too since the shots, sound and set design, lighting were somehow artistic and speaks for art especially the story itself.

The film has the lighting that it needs. Dark shots were perfect for most of the scenes since the story has it that they need to keep the lights down. The sound was thrilling when it should be like when Gracie was looking for the intruders and she was inside the room where she found the photographs. It made my heart beat fast because of the suspense. The setting was creepy and it justified that they do not have neighbors to call on to, the house also have this haunted-house like aura. The shots were perfect; I can’t even tell anything that could go wrong with it. It has establishing shots of the mansion, the inside of the house and the characters faces were shown greatly when an emotion was arching up. The editing is almost flawless; it was like sewed from shots to shots.

Nicole Kidman played as Gracie Stewart and was so great. She gave justice by being so elegant and classic; she also has this intimidating look on her that is just perfect for her character since the setting of the movie was in year 1945. And is should not forget Alakina Mann as Anne Stewart because she has the most outstanding character in all. Her physical features, the way she frowns, speaks was just so how Anne I was expecting to be.  She did not just gave justified her role, she also made it stand out. I just love her character personally. James Bentley as Nicholas is so cute. He looked helpless and dependent which complements the story he is in. Fionnula Flanagan as Bertha Mills was good enough for the character. She seems scary especially towards the end of the movie when she was telling the truth to Gracie but still possesses a caring aura in her. Eric Sykes as Edmund Tuttle has not been exposed much on the movie but helped by building his own mysterious character. I should applaud Elaine Cassidy as Lydia because even if she did not have any dialogue (she was mute in the movie) she stood out to me like Alakina did and for some unknown reason, she left a mark to me. The old woman on the other hand, was portrayed by Renée Asherson was just fine. I think the reason why she was scary was because of her eyes which was not natural obviously but I think any old woman (physically) can do her role. It was not as effective as I was wishing it to be. 

The film was Written and Directed by Alejandro Amenabar, who was also in-charge with the music. I should give him a two thumbs-up for creating such a great film that has a great twist. I am such a fan of Psychological Horror films and he made it an unforgettable one. 

(c) Angelu Gawaran

The Others (2001) official Trailer :