M Night Shyamalan Week: Day 2

There’s no doubt that our boy M. Night Shyamalan has a mixed bag of films.

When he sets out to make a film, one of two things happens:

He hits

or

strikes out at the plate. 

But when he hits it’s not just an RBI. It's an absolute dinger outside-the-park home run that your grandpa talks about for 50 years.

And with the release of Knock at the Cabin Door it gives us the perfect opportunity to discuss the king of the twist. 

While The Sixth Sense is M. Night’s most iconic film, we here at Please Consume think Unbreakable is his best.

Yesterday, we discussed how M. Night includes grounded relationships in fantastical situations and watched one of his most tense relational scenes. 

Today, let’s talk about the fantastical situations themselves and how his characters react to them.

Shyamalan loves to put average people in “wild” situations. 

We put the wild in quotes because, by 2023 standards, more precisely by post-MCU standards, these situations may actually seem quite grounded. But make no mistake, even though this is a superhero origin story, Night’s direction and Willis’ performance are able to elevate the film above today’s superhero blockbusters into a story that takes the effects and consequences of being a hero with grave seriousness.

Today’s clip plays out in what we’ll call a “magical realism” sort of fashion. 

Watch Bruce Willis’ reaction as he shifts between shock, fear, intrigue, and confusion.