Inside Look @ M. Night Shyamalan

by

Mike & Amy Nappa

FAST LOOK:

M. Night Shyamalan (pronounced SHA-ma-lan) is the writer and director of blockbuster movies such as The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, and Signs.

INSIDE SCOOP:

Even thought he’s been compared to Hitchcock and Spielberg, M. Night Shyamalan isn’t “Hollywood.” One of eight children born to two doctors, Shyamalan was born in India to Hindu parents, moved to Philadelphia as a child, and was educated in a Catholic school. While his family expected he would become a doctor, he chose film school instead and has seen his movies make millions and be nominated for Academy Awards. Shyamalan continues to lives in Philadelphia, makes all his films near his home, and refuses to move to California. And while typical Hollywood fare revolves around sex, special effects, and explosions, Shyamalan allows his movies to slowly evaluate themes of purpose, meaning, and faith. Consider his most well-known movies:

Wide Awake (1998) focuses on a ten-year-old boy who searches for God after the death of his beloved grandfather.

The Sixth Sense (1999) follows a boy frightened by ghosts. A child psychologist helps the child understand his purpose in the lives of dead souls, and solves a few mysteries of his own.

Unbreakable (2000) explores the psychological battle between a man who cannot be harmed and a man whose life is filled with injury. What are their purposes and how do their purposes intertwine?

Signs (2002) focuses on a former priest who cannot forgive God for allowing his wife to die. When aliens threaten this man, his family, and the world, he’s forced to evaluate whether our lives are shaped by luck or by the hand of God.

Fans of M. Night Shyamalan appreciate his though-provoking themes that often revolve around issues of faith. Shyamalan clearly makes movies to appeal to the masses, yet wants to deliver a message through his work. His movies are great for opening discussions on the meaning of our individual lives and our beliefs about God.

On the other hand, Shyamalan’s work often involves frightening supernatural beings. Some choose to avoid his films simply because they may lead to nightmares, while others are offended at his use of ghosts, aliens, and his way of mixing references to eastern religious beliefs with references to Christianity. Shyamalan allows his characters to question their faith and the existence of God in ways that some people are not comfortable considering.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT M. Night Shyamalan:

“Shyamalan is making brilliant, significant, and provocative films in a time when more experienced directors flood the market with sludge.”

—Douglas LeBlanc, Christianity Today

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“Shyamalan’s great gift is the creation of atmosphere, the conjuring of spooky, unseen menace.”

—Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

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“Faith is something very different than religion for me. Religion is some group saying their particular version of God is the right version, and that’s hard for me to accept. The world has become such a smaller place. It makes it hard for me to believe that the guy in Nepal and the little boy in Africa and the old man in Maine, all three of them with different versions of God, and yet maybe none of them are right. I just can’t believe that. There has to be some unifying thing.”

—M. Night Shyamalan

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“In a time when Hollywood mistakes volume for action, Shyamalan makes quiet films. In a time when incessant action is a style, he persuades us to play close attention to the smallest nuances.”

—Roger Ebert

LOOKING INSIDE…:      

Use these questions to spark family discussion about M. Night Shyamalan:

---Shyamalan was raised in a Hindu family but studied at Catholic schools. How do you see the mixture of these faiths in his movies? Should Shyamalan choose one faith to stand behind or is his exploration of several options okay? Will his films be more likely to help or mislead non-Christians?

--- Shyamalan uses a lot of symbolism in his movies. As you watch his films, what qualities are attributed to specific colors, objects, or camera angles? How might these symbols help you understand the themes in his stories?

---In Shyamalan’s movies, past events always become important in determining the future. In what ways does the Bible support this idea? How might Christians find freedom from this concept?

[SIDEBAR]

If members of your family like M. Night Shyamalan, then you may want to check out:

---The Veritas Project Series by Frank Peretti (Tommy Nelson)

Veritas is the Latin word for truth, and the Springfield family works for an undercover operation called The Veritas Project. Teen twins Elijah and Elisha Springfield work with their parents as secret investigators of the paranormal. In Hangman’s Curse the kids get involved in solving a mystery involving ghosts, witches, and curses at a high school. Hangman’s Curse will be released as a movie during 2003. The second book in the series, Nightmare Academy, takes the teens into a different reality filled with terror.

Peretti has made a name for himself with books involving the spiritual realm, and these books continue in that tradition. Super for teens (and their parents!).

---A Ship Possessed by Alton Gansky (Zondervan).

When a WWII submarine, lost in the Atlantic during the war, is found on a San Diego beach, J.D. Stanton is called to must solve the mystery of where the vessel has been for the past 50 years, what happened to the crew, and how the sub got into the wrong ocean. Stanton, a retired Navy captain and historian, must face the possibility that the ship is possessed by evil forces, while also dealing with a madman searching for top-secret Nazi artifacts.

Gansky has a reputation for creating tense thrillers, and A Ship Possessed is one of his best.

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[BIO LINE] Mike & Amy Nappa are renowned cultural commentators, best-selling and award-winning authors, and creators of the Internet magazine for families, www.FamilyFans.com