The Sixth SenseThey say that children are more observant and are better listeners than adults. Sometimes that same keen awareness means they are witness to terrifying situations, and struggle to cope. The Sixth Sense is a horror film about a young boy named Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment), who is ostracized at school, doesn't fit in, and is anxious and taciturn. Out of a combination of professional duty and guilt, child psychiatrist, Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis), takes it upon himself to help Cole open up and deal with the complex emotions he is feeling. When Cole finally shares his "secret" with Malcolm--that he can see ghosts--everything begins to change for the both of them.
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The Sixth Sense became a blockbuster hit when it was released in 1999, and a large part of its appeal was due to the "twist" ending. (The film foreshadows this when Malcolm tells a boring bedtime story to Cole, and he comments that a good story should have "twists and stuff".) While astute viewers will likely predict the plot twist, the real thrill is that this revelation exists as a lingering shadow over the plot, adding a persistent layer of tension and depth to it. Once you get the sense of what is really going on, your perspective of the story changes. Although The Sixth Sense is a ghost story, there are surprisingly few supernatural manifestations of specters and haunts until half way into the film, with only a few shocking exceptions. Cole is a very smart, well-spoken child; he deliberately refrains from disclosing his secret to anyone precisely because he is smart. Cole realizes that people do not believe in ghosts, and his prior attempts to hint at the grisly knowledge spirits pass on to him has only landed him in hot water at school or with his recently divorced mom, Lynn (Toni Collette).
The Sixth Sense was a breakthrough film for writer and director M. Night Shyamalan, whose films often feature a twist ending as his signature flourish. But what is less often talked about is his aptitude for portraying convincing family units undergoing a crisis, and how the children struggle to deal with the stress. This sympathetic element is featured in many of his films, including Unbreakable and Signs; in The Sixth Sense, this applies to both Cole's family, as well as Malcolm's. While the film focuses on Cole, the prologue depicts the traumatic event which forever changed the lives and marriage between Malcolm and his wife, Anna (Olivia Williams). Approximately a year later, the couple exist within the same home, but do not communicate, and the distance between them is palpable. Lynn and Cole, on the other hand, love one another very much; but the secrets between them represent a barrier that they both know exists. Still both hurting over the fracture to their family, they are both struggling to figure out how to overcome their respective pain and ensure that they still feel loved by the other--the irony is that this lack of trust is ultimately what is adding to the strain on their relationship. The psychological burdens in these families is significant in light of Malcolm's profession as a psychiatrist, and his own self-doubt following the deadly encounter at the start of the film with his former patient, Vincent Grey (Donnie Wahlberg). It is intimated that Vincent experienced the same kind of supernatural ability to sense ghosts that Cole has, and that after Malcolm misdiagnosed him, he inadvertently ruined Vincent's life, which in turn ruins Malcolm's. Malcolm's mission is to try to prevent making the same mistake he did with Vincent by saving Cole; but Malcolm threatens to repeat his mistakes by relying on cliche and detached psychiatric tricks to try to reach Cole, and not actually listening to what it is Cole is truly trying to say.
The Sixth Sense--as befits the title--is a movie about perception. For much of the film, the perception is that Cole is a troubled child, and his intelligence is a stigma for an adolescent boy in a school like his. Without any real friends at school, Cole doesn't seem to have anyone to talk to; even he and his mom make up stories about their respective days, embellishing and in turn revealing what they wish their lives were actually like. During a "mind-reading game" Malcolm plays with Cole, he correctly reads that after his mother and father were divorced, she went to a counselor, and deep down, Cole became distrustful that she was keeping secrets from him, telling a stranger something she couldn't tell him. This is a completely natural reaction for a young boy in this situation, but what Malcolm can't guess is that the secret he keeps from her isn't born from resentment, but from a fear that were she to know about his ability, their relationship would be forever altered. Having lost his father, that isn't a risk Cole is prepared to take; ironically, his feints and reluctance to disclose the truth has the same effect. In order for Cole to quell the terror he feels when confronted with ghosts, he listens to their problems, and in turn tries to help them find closure so that they can move on. In this sense, Cole becomes the "psychiatrist" to the ghosts who seek him out, and offers them what they ultimately needed: a sympathetic soul.
Recommended for: Fans of a horror film which deals substantially with the psychological conflicts that arise in children when they feel that they cannot turn to anyone about their suffering. The Sixth Sense, with its memorable plot twist and Cole's reveal of his secret--"I see dead people"--has become a modern classic that catapulted Shyamalan to filmmaking stardom.
The Sixth Sense was a breakthrough film for writer and director M. Night Shyamalan, whose films often feature a twist ending as his signature flourish. But what is less often talked about is his aptitude for portraying convincing family units undergoing a crisis, and how the children struggle to deal with the stress. This sympathetic element is featured in many of his films, including Unbreakable and Signs; in The Sixth Sense, this applies to both Cole's family, as well as Malcolm's. While the film focuses on Cole, the prologue depicts the traumatic event which forever changed the lives and marriage between Malcolm and his wife, Anna (Olivia Williams). Approximately a year later, the couple exist within the same home, but do not communicate, and the distance between them is palpable. Lynn and Cole, on the other hand, love one another very much; but the secrets between them represent a barrier that they both know exists. Still both hurting over the fracture to their family, they are both struggling to figure out how to overcome their respective pain and ensure that they still feel loved by the other--the irony is that this lack of trust is ultimately what is adding to the strain on their relationship. The psychological burdens in these families is significant in light of Malcolm's profession as a psychiatrist, and his own self-doubt following the deadly encounter at the start of the film with his former patient, Vincent Grey (Donnie Wahlberg). It is intimated that Vincent experienced the same kind of supernatural ability to sense ghosts that Cole has, and that after Malcolm misdiagnosed him, he inadvertently ruined Vincent's life, which in turn ruins Malcolm's. Malcolm's mission is to try to prevent making the same mistake he did with Vincent by saving Cole; but Malcolm threatens to repeat his mistakes by relying on cliche and detached psychiatric tricks to try to reach Cole, and not actually listening to what it is Cole is truly trying to say.
The Sixth Sense--as befits the title--is a movie about perception. For much of the film, the perception is that Cole is a troubled child, and his intelligence is a stigma for an adolescent boy in a school like his. Without any real friends at school, Cole doesn't seem to have anyone to talk to; even he and his mom make up stories about their respective days, embellishing and in turn revealing what they wish their lives were actually like. During a "mind-reading game" Malcolm plays with Cole, he correctly reads that after his mother and father were divorced, she went to a counselor, and deep down, Cole became distrustful that she was keeping secrets from him, telling a stranger something she couldn't tell him. This is a completely natural reaction for a young boy in this situation, but what Malcolm can't guess is that the secret he keeps from her isn't born from resentment, but from a fear that were she to know about his ability, their relationship would be forever altered. Having lost his father, that isn't a risk Cole is prepared to take; ironically, his feints and reluctance to disclose the truth has the same effect. In order for Cole to quell the terror he feels when confronted with ghosts, he listens to their problems, and in turn tries to help them find closure so that they can move on. In this sense, Cole becomes the "psychiatrist" to the ghosts who seek him out, and offers them what they ultimately needed: a sympathetic soul.
Recommended for: Fans of a horror film which deals substantially with the psychological conflicts that arise in children when they feel that they cannot turn to anyone about their suffering. The Sixth Sense, with its memorable plot twist and Cole's reveal of his secret--"I see dead people"--has become a modern classic that catapulted Shyamalan to filmmaking stardom.