Review: M. Night Shyamalan's 'Old' is an effective daylight thriller

Old
3.5 out of 5 Stars
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Writer: M. Night Shyamalan, Pierre-Oscar Lévy, Frederick Peeters
Starring: Gael García Bernal, Vicky Krieps, Rufus Sewell, Abbey Lee, Aaron Pierre
Genre: Thriller, Mystery
Rated: PG-13 for strong violence, disturbing images, suggestive content, partial nudity and brief strong language

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) – Synopsis: A group of strangers on holiday find themselves trapped on a secluded beach where they begin to age rapidly.

Review: I’ve found M. Night Shyamalan to be an incredibly frustrating artist. His good ideas are often undercut by unfocused whimsy and his overwhelming desire to pull the rug out from beneath the audience’s feet. It’s a parlor trick with diminishing returns.

“Old” begins with Guy (Gael García Bernal), Prisca (Vicky Krieps) arriving with their children at a gorgeous hotel. We quickly learn that the view may be idyllic, but our seemingly pleasant family is actually a splintering marriage and the children are completely aware. Nonetheless, an attempt to make their children’s last memories of them being all together good ones, Guy and Prisca pretend nothing is wrong.

And yet, maybe, if they fake their way through, this fantasy could save their relationship.

There’s something calming about light. For all our lives we’ve been led to believe that little to nothing sinister happens in the day. Of course, any sense of safety is a mirage. This is a M. Night Shyamalan film after all.

Given access to a special enclosed beach area, the family is somewhat surprised that there are other people who are already there. A famous musician (Aaron Pierre), a well-to-do doctor (Rufus Sewell), his wife (Abbey Lee) and their daughter and soon, another couple (Mikki Amuka-Bird and Ken Leung). All annoyed that the secret beach isn't as exclusive as they believed.

Then a body washes up on the ashore. Tensions rise. Accusations with racial overtones are thrown. The children begin to age rapidly and there’s no way to leave the beach.

It’s a simple and effective story that takes a hard look at a variety of social issues and how unchecked behavior can foreshadow disaster. It’s not just their bodies that are aging.

It is their minds as well. What happens when we can no longer filter or control our worst impulses?

There’s a series of twists, but none feel too dramatic. That might be because Shyamalan is adapting a graphic novel, rather than producing a completely original work. Regardless of the reason, “Old” works better for me than any of the director’s work from the past few years.