There’s a fascinating insight included in one of the extras in the new Blu-ray release of The Others, 2001’s supernatural thriller with a killer twist ending starring Nicole Kidman. As the production was about to begin, The Sixth Sense was released to film festivals, and the word about a supernatural thriller with a killer twist ending began to take hold with some force. For a while, it looked like The Others may not get made at all. Fortunately, the decision to go ahead with The Others was a very good one indeed, its $17m budget garnering a worldwide box office of over $210m.
Just after the war in 1945, a lonely, isolated woman awaiting the return of her husband, living in Jersey with her photosensitive children in an old, dark, rambling family home, starts to believe that her house is haunted. When new servants arrive, strange episodes escalate. Is the family going mad, or are other unexplained things happening?
In his first English language film, writer, director, and even score composer Alejandro Amenábar certainly had a very clear vision of what he wanted The Others to be and, crucially, what it should not be. With influences such as The Haunting, Turn of the Screw, and The Innocents permeating the pace and atmosphere of the film, The Others isn’t about fast-paced action or jump scares. It’s a slow-burn character study where fear comes from the reactions of the characters finding terror in the shadows and from the slow reveal of what is actually going on.
Central to all of this is the great performance from Kidman, a total contrast to the role she had just completed filming in Moulin Rouge. She’s ice cold at first, harsh, controlling, desperate not to fall apart as she grieves a probably lost husband. And a life she could have had. It’s a star-making turn. Of course, much of the success of The Others lies in its revealing finale, but a surprise ending is nothing unless everything that comes before adds up, and here, just as in The Sixth Sense, the shocker makes you want to watch the whole thing again knowing what you now know.
With its very specific look and lighting, The Others doesn’t benefit a huge amount from this 4K upgrade. It’s a great-looking film anyway. However, new interviews with Kidman, Amenábar (why isn’t he a huge director now?), co-star Christopher Eccleston and producer Fernando Bovaira provide great background and reveal a genuine pride in the finished film. Interviews from previous releases are included, as is a short documentary about the music composed for the film and a slightly dull look at some of the film’s green screen effects.
The extras knock a star off what is a five-star film.
THE OTHERS is out now on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD.
