Bits and pieces

Brian and I saw Lady in the Water, starring Bryce Dallas Howard and Paul Giamatti, last week, and it was pretty dang cool. Kind-of a modern fairy tale, the movie is about Story (the "lady in the water" of the film's title) and her interactions with all of the film's other characters. Story (Howard), a "water-being," is found in the pool of an apartment complex by Cleveland Heep (Giamatti), the complex's repairman. Heep, who has his own secrets/backstory, becomes involved in trying to aid Story in accomplishing her mission (to inspire a human who will go on to do something great) and then returning to her own world.

The film is much about connectedness. Heep discovers that many of the apartment complex residents have a special role to play in Story's mission (with M. Night Shamalayan himself playing one of the largest roles I've seen him take on in one of his own films), and all the residents must work together to help the strange water creature that has stumbled into their midst.

The film also has alot to say about the purpose of the individual - i.e. how we are all searching for our purpose, how we make mistakes, how we sometimes don't realize who we are until the fit hits the shan, how each person has a special importance.

So, in a way, the film is about the critical nature of both knowing who we are as an individual and realizing that we are all interdependent - an indivisible group. The film's characters cannot achieve success unless they all work together.

Giamatti, as usual, gives a great performance. There were a couple of strained moments (which is uncharacteristic of him, I think. He usually makes it look sooooo easy.), but overall, he was fabulous. Howard was wonderful, too, and the quiet, restrained quality she has served her very well in this role (as did her very chiseled face - positively haunting).

While, like most of Shamalayan's films, this one has strong elements of fantasy, I thought it was worth watching. I would not call this my favorite Shamalayan film, though. That would probably be either The Sixth Sense or Signs.

Trivia: the "M" in M. Night Shamalayan stands for Manoj, a Hindu/Indian/Sanskrit name meaning love and springing from the intellect.