SignsYou know that old saying that one can't "see the forest for the trees"? That also holds true for fields of corn--at least it must for former reverend Graham Hess (Mel Gibson). Graham has abandoned his faith following the tragic loss of his wife in a fatal car accident, and struggles to support his surviving family in the form of his two children, Morgan (Rory Culkin) and Bo (Abigail Breslin), with the support of his younger brother, Merrill (Joaquin Phoenix). One morning, he is awoken by his children screaming at discovering crop circles made in his corn fields, the first of many signs which herald the coming of alien invaders.
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Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan--who also has a small part as the contrite veterinarian, Ray Reddy, responsible for the death of Graham's wife, Colleen (Patricia Kalember)--Signs is a tense and taut science fiction thriller, while also paradoxically a family film. Moments of tension are consistently ratcheted up--albeit with moments of humor in between--in the fear of the unknown invaders, ultimately proved to be the hostile monsters scientists hypothesized by the likes of the illustrious "Dr. Bimbu", author of Morgan's aliens book. The aliens are rarely glimpsed at all, and are often seen only in the briefest of moments, as they are escaping line of sight, their camouflage compromised. The aliens of Signs represent a kind of fundamental terror in America, unknowable and nigh-invisible lurkers which reconnoiter then invade with hostile intent. They are the monsters under the bed, figuratively speaking, who are only visible when they move, or to strike. Graham and Merrill's attempt to catch the trespasser on their property one night, mistakenly identified as one of the "Prichard boys", shows that whatever it is stalking them is superior to them, physically and tactically. Released almost a year after the September 11 attacks, Signs also feels like a kind of coping process for this kind of terrorism, and the reactions by the characters in the film are eerily similar to those people displayed during and after this event--Merrill entertains the idea of enlisting, and a young pharmacist, Tracey Abernathy (Merritt Wever), presses Graham to hear her confession; even Ray Reddy follows others escaping from areas which look like potential targets. On September 11th, 2001, America was glued to the television, watching the catastrophe unfold; the Hess family is no different, witness to these seemingly irreconcilable events playing out; both scenarios are shocking and unpredictable, channeling the abject terror through the television.
The musical score by James Newton Howard evokes the intensity and gripping anxiety of the works of Bernard Herrmann in films by another master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, especially Psycho. And although both films consider themes of "family", Signs is a convincing portrayal of the family unit struggling to hold itself up after the comparatively fresh loss of the matriarch, and the spiritual loss of their father. Many details emphasize not so much Graham's loss of faith, but his anger at God for his loss, such as the dusty silhouette on his wall where it is obvious his cross once hung. Graham is frequently referred to as "Father" by people in their rural community in Buck County, Pennsylvania, including Police Officer Caroline Paski (Cherry Jones), a smart cop, but one who is more adept at dealing with community affairs than interstellar invasion. Graham refutes the title, and even denies prayer in his grief, but he still carries the personality of a pastor, and is often consulted for guidance and counsel by others, for whom the appearance of confirmed aliens on Earth leaves them shaken. In this capacity, as Graham and Merrill are watching the lights of UFOs hovering over Mexico City on the television, Graham offers Merrill his seemingly neutral assessment of what people are like in terms of "signs" of the existence of a higher power. He speaks of how there are basically two different kinds of people, those who see these signs as evidence, and those who see it as mere coincidence, and how it relates to the alien lights hovering over the sky. The ironic thing is that Graham has tried to convince himself that he is in the latter following the death of Colleen, but his nature makes him a member of the former, which is the true reason he has abandoned his faith, believing that what happened to her was not a coincidence. Life has been a puzzle for Graham ever since, and it is one he will be forced to complete in order to see the big picture.
The broader themes of family in Signs are reinforced in multiple ways. There is a comparatively small cast and few sets in Signs, with most of the action taking place at the Hess farm, where the four family members are rarely outside of one another's proximity. They depend on one another for their stability and sense of security, as it is with most families, even though Graham initially denies the possibility that the signs before his fated encounter with an alien are evidence to the existence of invaders. But when the evidence is insurmountable, Graham and the others prepare for the worst, and the family binds together to protect their home from the inevitable siege by their would-be attackers. Each family member has their quirks and idiosyncrasies, which appear innocuous or simply as character depth at first, but are crucial elements in the most critical of moments. Merrill is a former minor league baseball player, boasting a pair of records, that of the longest distance for a hit, as well as the most strike outs; he keeps the bat mounted in the living room at the Hess home. Bo has a tendency to believe her multitudinous glasses of water all have something "wrong" with them, and leaves them scattered all over the place. Even Morgan--who is wise beyond his years, and brave enough to defend Bo when their dog attacks them, tense after sensing the aliens lurking on the property--is an asthmatic, and requires an inhaler during stressful moments to prevent his lungs from closing. To an outsider, these would seem like weaknesses, shortcomings which inhibit rather than strengthen; family proves otherwise, and that they are meant to operate in tandem, in key moments, signs of something more. The moment which emphasizes this better than any is when Morgan, who has recovered Bo's old baby monitor, is listening in for messages from the aliens. At first, the sounds are unclear--called "static" by Graham and Merrill at first--but become more pronounced the higher up the receiver. This leads to the family climbing up on the car, hands interlocked, and the signal becomes the strongest, and it is clear that the sound is not just static. They create a literal tower, linked by one another, pillars identifying the endurance of the united family.
Recommended for: Fans of a science fiction suspense film, which addresses faith, family, and fear. It is a smart and elegant story of what it is to cope with the unknown on both large and small scales, both tense and heartwarming.
The musical score by James Newton Howard evokes the intensity and gripping anxiety of the works of Bernard Herrmann in films by another master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, especially Psycho. And although both films consider themes of "family", Signs is a convincing portrayal of the family unit struggling to hold itself up after the comparatively fresh loss of the matriarch, and the spiritual loss of their father. Many details emphasize not so much Graham's loss of faith, but his anger at God for his loss, such as the dusty silhouette on his wall where it is obvious his cross once hung. Graham is frequently referred to as "Father" by people in their rural community in Buck County, Pennsylvania, including Police Officer Caroline Paski (Cherry Jones), a smart cop, but one who is more adept at dealing with community affairs than interstellar invasion. Graham refutes the title, and even denies prayer in his grief, but he still carries the personality of a pastor, and is often consulted for guidance and counsel by others, for whom the appearance of confirmed aliens on Earth leaves them shaken. In this capacity, as Graham and Merrill are watching the lights of UFOs hovering over Mexico City on the television, Graham offers Merrill his seemingly neutral assessment of what people are like in terms of "signs" of the existence of a higher power. He speaks of how there are basically two different kinds of people, those who see these signs as evidence, and those who see it as mere coincidence, and how it relates to the alien lights hovering over the sky. The ironic thing is that Graham has tried to convince himself that he is in the latter following the death of Colleen, but his nature makes him a member of the former, which is the true reason he has abandoned his faith, believing that what happened to her was not a coincidence. Life has been a puzzle for Graham ever since, and it is one he will be forced to complete in order to see the big picture.
The broader themes of family in Signs are reinforced in multiple ways. There is a comparatively small cast and few sets in Signs, with most of the action taking place at the Hess farm, where the four family members are rarely outside of one another's proximity. They depend on one another for their stability and sense of security, as it is with most families, even though Graham initially denies the possibility that the signs before his fated encounter with an alien are evidence to the existence of invaders. But when the evidence is insurmountable, Graham and the others prepare for the worst, and the family binds together to protect their home from the inevitable siege by their would-be attackers. Each family member has their quirks and idiosyncrasies, which appear innocuous or simply as character depth at first, but are crucial elements in the most critical of moments. Merrill is a former minor league baseball player, boasting a pair of records, that of the longest distance for a hit, as well as the most strike outs; he keeps the bat mounted in the living room at the Hess home. Bo has a tendency to believe her multitudinous glasses of water all have something "wrong" with them, and leaves them scattered all over the place. Even Morgan--who is wise beyond his years, and brave enough to defend Bo when their dog attacks them, tense after sensing the aliens lurking on the property--is an asthmatic, and requires an inhaler during stressful moments to prevent his lungs from closing. To an outsider, these would seem like weaknesses, shortcomings which inhibit rather than strengthen; family proves otherwise, and that they are meant to operate in tandem, in key moments, signs of something more. The moment which emphasizes this better than any is when Morgan, who has recovered Bo's old baby monitor, is listening in for messages from the aliens. At first, the sounds are unclear--called "static" by Graham and Merrill at first--but become more pronounced the higher up the receiver. This leads to the family climbing up on the car, hands interlocked, and the signal becomes the strongest, and it is clear that the sound is not just static. They create a literal tower, linked by one another, pillars identifying the endurance of the united family.
Recommended for: Fans of a science fiction suspense film, which addresses faith, family, and fear. It is a smart and elegant story of what it is to cope with the unknown on both large and small scales, both tense and heartwarming.