sycholgist Malcolm Crowe (Willis) couldn't be happier.
He loves his job working with children and has just received an award from the
mayor recognizing his years of outstanding service. But when he and his wife Anna
are celebrating in their Philadelphia home, they are surprised by one of his
former patients, now grown but still anguished. The patient shoots Malcolm, then himself.
Cut to that fall, when a much-subdued Malcolm approaches his next case,
the troubled nine-year-old Cole Sear (Osment), who suffers from acute anxiety
and possible mood disorders. "Are you a good doctor?" Cole asks. "Well, I
used to be," Crowe says.
Over the next few days, Crowe tries to penetrate the wall of fear
surrounding the intense boy, who bears mysterious scratches on his arms, is
alienated from his classmates and gets in trouble at school. Crowe,
meanwhile, has troubles of his own. His wife is all but silent when she's around him,
and it's clear that Crowe has been neglecting his marriage.
Cole's single mother, Lynn (Collette), meanwhile, is trying to discover
what's bothering her fearful son. Viewers get a glimpse of what Cole is
thinking when Crowe plays a game with the boy: if Crowe guesses right, the
boy takes a step forward. If he's wrong, the boy takes a step back. "You
have a secret but you don't want to tell me," Crowe guesses, and Cole steps
forward. "If you could change anything in your life, what would it be?" Crowe
asks. Cole's answer: "I don't want to be scared anymore."
When Cole's classmates play a cruel prank on him, the boy finally
confides in the psychologist: "I see dead people walking around like
regular people. They don't know they're dead." When? "All the time." At first,
Crowe is dismayed by this, thinking the boy is a schizophrenic beyond his
help. But then viewers see things from Cole's point of view:
haunting images of ghosts. Are they real, or are they just in his head?
Crowe eventually comes to believe Cole, but what does he do
now? And how can he help the boy conquer his fear, while redeeming himself
and his marriage?
"You're nice. But you can't help me."
The Sixth Sense is being marketed as a conventional supernatural
thriller, but while it contains some real scares, it is much more than a
simple genre film. The first big studio feature by 20-something director
Shyamalan (Wide Awake), the film is at once a deeply felt family
drama, a poignant romance and a suspenseful ghost story with a surprise
ending that defies expectation.
The movie's strengths start with a script so good it was reportedly
snapped up in a single day for $3 million by Walt Disney Co., one of the
highest paydays ever for an original screenplay. But the true heart and soul
of the movie is the riveting performance by
11-year-old Osment, who has been an actor since the age of 5 (he is best known for playing
Forrest Gump Jr.). Osment gives a performance that belies his age, at times
mixing fear, anger, alienation, sadness and anguish in a single facial
expression.
His line readings convey a sense of barely controlled fury and an
intensity not found in many adult actors. He commands the screen--relegating
Willis and Collette to the background--with his
chillingly believable portrayal of the tormented Cole Sear.
For his part, Willis shows great restraint in his role, painting a
credible portrait of a good-hearted man who has lost his way. The
interchanges between Osment and Willis are both rich and touching.
Beyond that, the film adeptly mixes subtle humor and quirky character
moments to enhance the frights and tears, such as the tender exchanges
between Cole and his mother. Shyamalan also displays an original touch
by using unique camera angles and key
images--a bare light bulb, empty rooms, a red doorknob--aided by the
burnished cinematography of veteran Tak Fujimoto.
