Shyamalan’s solid, chilling comeback
The Visit
(out of 4) Starring Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould. Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Opens Friday in GTA theatres. 94 minutes. PG. M. Night Shyamalan’s latest film may well have been his last chance at redemption.
Fortunately, he rises to the challenge and makes The Visit good, scary fun.
After a string of recent failures that drew the scorn of critics and fans alike and belied the promise of earlier films such as The Sixth Sense, Shyamalan has found his footing again with a work that feels surprisingly fresh.
It also feels like a departure of sorts, combining a strong comic touch with Shyamalan’s signature dark sensibility.
The story is simplicity itself: teenagers Becca and younger brother Tyler travel to the country home of grandparents they’ve never met due to a rift caused when Mom eloped years before with a man they disapproved of.
Becca is a budding filmmaker determined to make a documentary of the visit so both siblings are equipped with hand-held cameras to record events that graduate from strange to downright disturbing as it progresses.
While this device has become increasingly overused in cinema, it mostly works here.
Meanwhile, the kids stay in touch via Skype with Mom, who tries to allay their fears over Nana and Pop Pop’s increasingly bizarre behaviour.
Olivia DeJonge as Becca and Ed Oxenbould as Tyler get top billing and they well deserve it, delivering appealing performances that exhibit a high degree of believability.
Likewise, Deanna Dunagan gives a fine performance as Nana, managing to draw on our sympathies even as she grows ever more menacing. Peter McRobbie as Pop Pop infuses every gesture and facial tic with subtle foreboding.
The script is unexpectedly loaded with humour, including Tyler’s cheesy rap performances as T. Diamond Stud and his habit of substituting the names of female singers such as Katy Perry for strong expletives.
Shyamalan also takes a few gentle pokes at himself and other filmmakers via Becca’s use of pretentious cinematic terms like “visual tension” and “ironic scoring.”
Even Nana’s nocturnal activities, as observed by the youngsters despite a strict 9:30 bedtime, seem more amusing than scary at first, along with the older folks’ inclination to point fingers at the other’s odd behaviour.
Despite past lapses as a screenwriter — e.g. The Happening, After Earth — this time out, Shyamalan’s script demonstrates a fine sense of economy, making every scene — and every clue buried within — vital to the outcome.
There are also a few well-placed red herrings.
And Shyamalan’s trademark twist? It works well, nicely drawing all the threads together into a satisfying conclusion, rescuing the reputation of a filmmaker for whom the public’s patience was wearing thin.