| Bilgi :
Fairy tales work best when—either on screen
or page—they suck you into their world and make you a part of
the fantasy. There, you see the wonders unfold. You step
through the wardrobe. Travel to Mordor. Or skip along the
yellow brick road. On these journeys, you discover the
complexities and personalities of these fantastic worlds by
experiencing them. By walking these tales, the complicated
myths become real and understood.
Lady in the Water is also a complex,
fantasy-filled bedtime story—but told in a different and
ultimately less effective way. It doesn't so much invite you
into the world of the story as it displays people hearing
about a story.
Paul Giamatti as Cleveland Heep,
superintendent of The Cove apartments
 |
The mythic tale at the center of the film
involves "those in the water" who, thousands of years ago,
lived in concert with the earthbound man. They would inspire
mankind as guides and muses. They made man better. But then,
man's ugliness severed the bond. But still, the water people
tried to reach man. The script by M. Night Shyamalan (The
Sixth Sense, Signs, The Village) treats this made-up myth
as a story "from the East" that a group of everyday shmoes
discovers may be true.
Cleveland Heep (Paul Giamatti) is the dutiful
and quiet superintendent of The Cove apartments. Hiding from
the world because of past pain, Heep busies himself with
repairing toilets and light fixtures. His mundane life is
challenged when he discovers someone else hiding at The Cove—a
woman called Story (Bryce Dallas Howard) who's been living in
the pool.
Heep discovers this woman is actually a Narf,
one of those sea-nymph creatures from that Eastern bedtime
story. She is there to touch and inspire one tenant who, if
moved to continue working on a certain writing project, will
change the world. But, according to the myth, there is danger.
Wolf-like Scrunts with matted grass hair prey on Story. The
only hope is for specific residents of The Cove to band
together and return Story to her Blue World safely.
Bryce Dallas Howard is Story, the
lady in the water
|
The film's thematic pulse rests in the
mission of The Cove's rogue gallery to send Story home. Heep
uncovers all the details of how this supposedly happens by
asking questions about the original fairy tale to college girl
Young-Soon Choi (Cindy Cheung). Her Korean-speaking mother
remembers being told the story "as if it were a prayer. Like
it was true." According to Young-Soon's mother, the story
featured many humans with special powers who were drawn to
where the Narf would arrive. Together, they ensure her safety.
There is a Guardian, a Symbolist, a Guild, and a Healer. The
Cove residents need to figure out who is who in order to save
Story.
The wonderful message at the core of
Shyamalan's tale is that everyone has a purpose. You may not
know what it is or that you even have a gift, but you
do. And too many of us spend our lives hiding from it or
searching in vain. Lady's idea of searching for your
purpose in life not only has similarities to the biblical
notions of gifts and the body of Christ, but also hints at the
idea that we are part of a larger world. We don't really know
our part in a greater story, but we must have faith that it is
there. Story says, "Man thinks he is alone in this … but you
are connected."
June Kyoko Lu as Mrs. Choi and
Cindy Cheung as Young-Soon Choi
|
The weaknesses start to show in Lady's
narrative as Heep continues to unravel the old myth in order
to discover what to do with Story. The first problem is that
it feels like Heep goes back to Young-Soon about 900 times for
more details, rules and specifics about the myth. Eventually,
it feels like this is the longest bedtime story ever. Kids in
the East apparently never get to sleep. There are just so
many rules and details. Imagine if a movie tried to relate
the details and complexities of The Lord of the Rings
through talking. Ugh.
Secondly, the plot becomes less of a journey
for Heep and friends and more of a literature criticism
exercise. They deconstruct the myth to figure out how to spot
which residents are which characters in the myth. Who is the
Healer? Who makes up the Guild? This process starts off fun.
There's a sense that The Cove residents are building their own
ragtag little Lord of the Rings fellowship. They need to find
this kind of person and this kind of person in
order to pass the upcoming test. And you anticipate how their
gifts will be used and realized. But then, as the story
continues, the plot isn't really about people with gifts
joining forces, but more like filling the holes in a
predestined arc. What fun is it if they really have no say or
no duty, but just need to be there because it's predestined?
And honestly, the different roles in the myth turn out to have
little more to do than just being there.
Ultimately, the whole community
becomes part of this Story
|
The third problem with Heep's journey is that
it takes this little fairy tale into a meta-literature
direction that can be distracting. The characters seem to know
they are in a story and often comment on that. It's like those
old cartoons when characters pull out the script of that
episode to see what they should do next. While that idea is
clever, the "We're in a movie" self-awareness goes too far and
doesn't jibe with the mythic fairytale feel. This is mainly
because a know-it-all-movie critic character (played
brilliantly by Bob Balaban) is given too many speeches about
how to identify certain characters and how you'll know what's
about to come, and so on. It doesn't fit the mood. It's like
The Wizard of the Oz crossed with Scream.
There's also a heavy-handedness and self-indulgent aftertaste
because it's obvious that Shyamalan is thumbing his nose at
critics and making comments about filmmaking while filmmaking.
All of this would be fine if it didn't feel so out of place
inside a fantasy film.
The plot's weaknesses eventually drain the
magic out of this myth. The movie is typical Shyamalan—good
quirky characters, well-crafted storytelling, thrilling
tension, an effectively dark and broody atmosphere, and
intriguing bigger themes to begin discussions. It also keeps
you guessing as it unfolds (but Shyamalan fans should not
expect his usual big twists or tricky storytelling). But
there's just no childlike wonder or joy. It lacks the awe and
giddiness of seeing life transform, like in
Unbreakable. It lacks the heart that made you care when
you realized Sixth Sense's secret. It lacks the
connection with the characters that made Signs' ending
feel so triumphant. And unlike those films, Lady in the
Water's final legacy will be as an enjoyable tale that, in
the end, is largely unmemorable. | 
