-

Retro SciFi Film of the Week…

The Village (2004)

This is probably more of a horror than a science fiction film, those genres often get conflated -- definitely a mystery. It’s all about a village, as the title implies, but what is this village about? Who are these people? Where are they? And who are those they don’t speak of?

It’s a very well made film. The acting and writing is flawless, the script is original and compelling, filled with metaphors and symbolism, and ultimately a commentary on society and the human condition. The cast includes some of the greatest stars in Hollywood -- William Hurt, who we lost recently, along with Bryce Dallas Howard, Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody, Sigourney Weaver, and Brendan Gleeson.

The film is scored by James Newton Howard with brilliant performances by violinist Hilary Hahn.

However, there are about 100 people in this cast and they are all white. Every one of them. One guy looks like he may be of mixed Asian heritage, maybe not. Actually, the director has a cameo in the film, but he is seen from behind and you can’t tell from the camera angle that he is Indian. This film was made in 2004, with a cast of some of the most progressive stars in Hollywood. How did that happen?

It was written, produced and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, so he’s ultimately responsible for the quality of the film, as well as the extreme racial bias in the cast. Some of his more recent films are more racially balanced, so maybe he woke up.

Even though this is a well-made film, I can’t recommend it because of the extreme racial bias in the cast.

#science #fiction #ScienceFiction #SciFi #FTW #sfftw #film #movie #village
#horror #mystery #society #humanity #progress #thosewedontspeakof #biglie