Lady in the Water (2006)

Director:

M. Night Shyamalan

Writer (WGA):

M. Night Shyamalan (written by)

Release Date:

21 July 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Fantasy | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Time is running out for a happy ending.

Plot:

Apartment building superintendent Cleveland Heep rescues what he thinks is a young woman from the pool he maintains. When he discovers that she is actually a character from a bedtime story who is trying to make the journey back to her home, he works with his tenants to protect his new friend from the creatures that are determined to keep her in our world.

Plot Keywords:

Crossword Puzzle | Laundry Room | Stuttering | Film Critic | Apartment Building

Awards:

2 wins & 3 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Mon. Aug. 4

10:00 AM

HBO

Cast

Paul Giamatti	...	Cleveland Heep
Bryce Dallas Howard	...	Story
Jeffrey Wright	...	Mr. Dury
Bob Balaban	...	Harry Farber
Sarita Choudhury	...	Anna Ran
Cindy Cheung	...	Young-Soon Choi
M. Night Shyamalan	...	Vick Ran
Freddy Rodríguez	...	Reggie
Bill Irwin	...	Mr. Leeds
Mary Beth Hurt	...	Mrs. Bell
Noah Gray-Cabey	...	Joey Dury
Joseph D. Reitman	...	Long Haired Smoker
Jared Harris	...	Goatee Smoker
Grant Monohon	...	Emaciated Smoker
John Boyd	...	One-Eyebrow Smoker

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some frightening sequences.

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX | SDDS | DTS-ES

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Zurich) | Canada:G (Québec) | UK:PG | New Zealand:PG | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | Sweden:11 | Finland:K-11 | Hong Kong:IIA | USA:PG-13 (certificate #42716) | Singapore:PG | South Korea:All | Australia:PG | Hungary:14 | Germany:12 | India:U | Ireland:12A | Netherlands:12 | Malaysia:U | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Italy:T | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Brazil:10

Filming Locations:

Levittown, Pennsylvania, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Some of this film was shot in Levittown, Pennsylvania at a Jacobson logistics warehouse site. (Shyamalan has committed to using films sites in PA.) The set, built on the warehouse site, includes an apartment complex and a half city block of row houses. Occasional footage was shot inside the overflow area of the warehouse. Most of the filming was completed after Jacobson work hours.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Mr. Farber introduces himself as "13B" at the party, one of the two people listening says "Good for you" without moving their lips.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Cleveland Heep: Once, man and those in the water were linked. They inspired us. They spoke of the future. Man listened and it became real. But man does not listen very well. Man's need to own everything led him deeper into land. The magic world of the ones that lived in the ocean...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Reflections of Lady in the Water (2006) (V)

Soundtrack:

Passion

An unexpected fairy's tale.

I think the thing about this movie is that people may go in expecting it to be a weird horror/supernatural thriller. While it does have supernatural elements, its much more of, well, I guess a fairy tale. It's got some great scares but overall it will be enjoyed more if you know ahead of time your not going to be sitting on the edge of your seat.

The theme of "finding your purpose" definitely is poignant in this day and age, I love all the self reflexive humor as far as story structure goes too.

SFX were decent, not awe inspiring but good for what was required. The film is really about the characters though and their arcs. I'd say the film is much more for the introspective crowd than the hardcore comic kids who want plenty of screams.