M. Night Shyamalan’s (The Sixth Sense, Split) cinema is known for its suspense and unexpected endings. His works are uneven, but his method is proven.
His daughter, Ishana Night Shyamalan, uses the same recipe for her first feature film, The Watchers. Although the conclusion is not breathtaking and the path to get there is a little boring, the young filmmaker manages to keep us in suspense thanks to an effective mix of moments of tension and release. The plot, taken from a novel by A. Mr. Shine, after whom the film is named, lent itself well to a two-speed pace.
Mina (Dakota Fanning) receives a mandate from the boss at the pet store where she works to transport a rare bird from one end of Ireland to the other. Her journey takes her to a thick forest in the west of the country. Before she gets stuck there, we are treated to beautiful images of the Emerald Isle. As night falls, Madeline (Olwen Fouéré), Ciara (Georgina Campbell) and Daniel (Oliver Finnegan) open their door to the lost American woman and her yellow parrot. The trio lives in a house with brutalist architecture which has only one room and a large two-way mirror. At each sunset, they must line up in front to be observed by the creatures who will leave them alive if they obey this rule and a few others.
These are interspersed during the calm of the days, sometimes with long explanatory monologues. The Watchers is based on Irish myths which are not without interest, but presented flatly. Ishana Night Shyamalan, who herself adapted the book for the big screen, still skillfully directed her actors. They represent a fair range of possible reactions to a disturbing environment. Although very numerous, the close-ups on Dakota Fanning’s face (I Am Sam, The Runaways, Ripley) communicate the desired emotion well. His game is measured and never falls into hysteria. The same goes for the other actors.
While this aspect is refreshing, it undoubtedly contributes to the fact that The Watchers failed in its task of scaring us. Nothing is disturbing enough to disturb our brain which seeks to elucidate the punch before the end. An effect of the Night Shyamalan method.