Title: Signs
Director(s): M. Night Shyamalan
Screenwriter(s): M. Night Shyamalan
Studio: Blinding Edge Pictures, The Kennedy/Marshall Company
Released: 2002
Runtime: 1h 46m
Starring: Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Rory Culkin, Abigail Breslin
Reverend Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) lives on a farm in Pennsylvania with his young son Morgan (Rory Culkin) and daughter Bo (Abigail Breslin). He is a widower, his wife having recently passed away in a car accident and his younger brother Merrill (Joaquin Phoenix) has since moved in. One morning, they notice crop circles in their cornfield, one of their dogs is behaving oddly and news of UFO sightings increases…
As the title suggests, the main theme is faith, the question of whether events—no matter how trivial or significant—are so-called coincidences or signs that there is a higher power that guides us.
This theme is expressed and explored through Graham’s personal struggle and the possibility of extraterrestrials. At a personal level, Graham is questioning his faith after losing his wife and has stopped working as a cleric. In terms of the outside world, locally and globally, the increasing evidence of extraterrestrial activity points to an imminent invasion and possibly the “end of the world”.
It is not as if the theme is explored in depth. It is arguably crude even, but it is mostly consistent. It is clear that Graham has doubts but it is unclear if he has outright lost his faith. This ambiguity is conveyed well by Gibson. Graham is grieving but, despite hints of anger, he still has a certain calm and patience like any half-decent clergyman. [Potential Spoiler] The main weakness is the key scene at the dinner table when Graham explicitly expresses his views, a position that is arguably a jump from what is previously shown.
In terms of plotting, crude or not, everything is signposted and the pacing is steady. In these respects, the writing is solid.
As a mild sci-fi horror, it is amusing. The premise and setting are typical contemporary horror: a family living on a rural property with an unseen and potentially malevolent force. Shyamalan gives us glimpses but withholds anything substantial.
Given the four members of the Hess family are the viewpoint characters and they are isolated, this does not feel unnatural. There could be a few more glimpses but Shyamalan does well creating and maintaining tension.
The family relies on the TV regarding events elsewhere and Morgan relies on a book as he distrusts mainstream views. There is no mention of the internet even though it was well-established in 2002, but perhaps this is to refrain from such easy access to information. Rural areas not having internet access is plausible enough.
The limitations of TV and books to supply information add to the isolation and tension. This aspect is realistic; however, whilst TV and books are necessary for expositions, it is unrealistic in that the information is presented as honest. In this respect, it is crude.
The cinematography is nice enough. There are quite a few wide shots and a mix of different angles (but not Dutch angles) that contribute to the mood. It is not heavily stylized. Whilst it avoids being pretentious, the stylization can go further. For example, the wide shots can be held a little longer to intensify the surrealness.
The music composed by James Newton Howard has the usual horror themes of strings doing the slow crescendo/decrescendo and glissando along with eerie piano arpeggios. The music is very low on the mix and, more broadly, the entire film is very quiet. It is not quite eerily quiet but is certainly pushing in that direction.
It is a decent mild sci-fi horror provided one does not expect anything more than “mild”. As already mentioned, the Hess family on a farm are the viewpoint characters so they don’t see or hear much given their isolation. That is the point, of course, but, as such, neither the sci-fi nor the horror are intense. There are even moments of slightly offbeat humor that play on the irony of the situation.
There are also conveniences that could be better written. For example, these aliens are advanced but they have trouble with wooden doors and the Hess family have no firearms even though they live on a rural property.
Nonetheless, it is nicely shot and edited with solid performances and it has a measured consistency that makes it a decent and entertaining film. A longer denouement and epilogue would enhance the work and be more consistent with the contemporary horror genre.
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