Directed by M. Night Shyamalan
I usually don’t mind spoilers cause most films aren’t complex enough to be ruined by them, however, Dir. M. Night Shamyalan’s films truly deserve ‘no spoilers’ whether you enjoy his work or not. I definitely don’t want to take away from the experience by giving anything away on this one—tho, it would be a good film to have a deep conversation about with people who’ve also seen it cause there’s a lot to talk about.
Synopsis: “Old” is a Sci-fi film where some people end up on a beach before weird things begin to happen.
That’s it, that’s all I’m giving you on it. I’m not even going to post a trailer. Don’t look it up, just find it, and watch it if you want to. If you’re the type of person who only likes films if they are perfect then this isn’t for you. It’s not a perfect film with a perfect script, perfect cinematography, etc etc. This is better then perfect—it’s an interesting film.
At first I felt like the story progressed too quickly. In the first 30 minutes I found myself thinking “it’s, like, at the end. Where do they have left to go with this story?” And then it went even deeper. The performances were good. The script made the acting seemed a bit hokey at times, like it was written as a stage play. The character development felt rushed, yet by the end I felt emotionally entangled with each character so I guess it was effective. It was definitely a rollercoaster of feelings as an audience member. Seems like this film, like many of Shamyalan’s films, is going to age well overtime because whatever wasn’t perfect about it will matter less and what does matter, the people and the story they’re telling, will continue to shine thru to make it an enjoyable watch.
This film was made by the famous fantasy/sci-fi director, his daughters, and a whole cast & crew of fabulous folks. (M. Night Shamyalan’s daughter, Ishana, was a secondary unit director and another of this three daughters Saleka, was the writer of the main song in the soundtrack). I’m including it in the horror genre because there are some graphic scenes, the tone is tense, and truly it would be scary to be in this situation—really tho that genre label is up for interpretation and you might feel otherwise about it. I could also see it labeled as psychological thriller (which is a sub genre of horror, isn’t it?)
I wouldn’t say I recommend this film for anyone younger then 13 because:
There are some scenes with mildly gorey bits and the plot is a bit mature as it goes deep into human relationships that younger folks might find unrelatable from lack of life experience. My recommendation would be to watch this without kids around so you can enjoy your experience of it (or tell me it’s not annoying to try to do something you’re into and to have a child whining ‘I’m bored’ in the middle of it—‘of course you’re bored child, you’ve no idea concept of what’s going on right now and that’s ok.’). Overall, there’s nothing in this film explicitly trying to give anyone nightmares so they’re your kids, you’ll know if they can handle or enjoy the content to be able to watch it with you.
As always-Thanks for reading with your eyes, ears, and hands.
Raise hell peacefully,
Anne Arkhane
The Pluck 
Well Emily… I’m not watching anything anymore. I bought series one of the Chucky dvd series. I used to love this sort of stuff growing up but it’s difficult to sit through now that I’ve lived through my own horror and freakshow of a life. Scary films are less fun when you’ve lived through a lot of horrible crap. I just watch the news that is constantly streaming out a shit show and that’s more horrible than anything I can imagine. Most of this stuff is for kids so that they can get over their nerves and fears of the world. I guess the writers of yesteryear were shitting out these storylines as a way of preparing future generations. Now I go down to the shops and see that everyone’s still driving their petrol fuelled cars because they’re physically handicapped and unable to get to the supermarket otherwise and the implications of that are scary enough. Everyday life is more of a nightmare than most of that crap. But yeah… Old… We’re getting old.
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Sounds like you’re going thru a difficult time in your life and are trying to reach out, Ari. We all do what we can to get thru the day to day. My way is by watching movies and thinking about the story because it’s fun. I like the horror genre because everyone has their own fears in this works. Studying this genre helps me understand ways to tell stories about what I’m afraid of. It’s like learning how to write by reading. If you don’t like horror I definitely don’t recommend reading my blog. It’s for a pretty niche crowd and the genre can be triggering if you have your own trauma or mental health to content with. If you feel triggered by something you’ve seen or heard from these films, or elsewhere, you should seek someone to speak to who can help you work thru those feelings. The news can be difficult to digest. It is also stories made for the public in a specific way often using shock and awe as a method of storytelling—similar to the horror genre. Ultimately, the news is another art form you can choose to consume or not. Maybe it’s healthier to watch less news and go experience something real and tangible so you can feel more connected to the community around you. If that’s not possible- You’re a writer, have you been writing anything recently? Maybe consider writing down what you’re experiencing.
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In this world*
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Emily we’re literally living through the climate change disaster. The government failed to act the whole time. It’s been bushfires and floods the whole time. Crop failure in an over-populated world. This is the news.
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Dude, it’s okay to cry. But you also need to go seek professional health care so you can manage your stress about it. Find ways to get involved in your community’s environmental initiatives. Telling me your counties problems isn’t going to do anything to change your situation. You gotta go find someone else to talk about this with.
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They won Emily… Not the greens exactly. But the labor government. I can finally stop worrying about the world ending knowing that there’s not denialists in charge and go back to narrative writing. Lots of love. Keep on writing.
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