No. 9- The Village

Film: The Village

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Bryce Dallas Howard

Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan

Released: 2004


I first saw this movie...
2004, in theaters

Why I love it...
The night I saw this movie- opening weekend- I had absolutely no desire to see it. In fact I had been forced into it with guilt. I had been losing interest in Shyamalan's films and so no hope of this movie changing my mind.
What I didn't realize, and what I think all of us were unaware of, was Shyamalan's intention to make a movie that was so much supernatural but rather a movie about human beings.
I've said it once and I'll say it again- The Village might be one of the best romantic movies out there. It's a little cheesy, what with its 19th century speech, but that also gives it the innocence you love in a love story. Joaquin Phoenix is amazing in this film, subtle and delicate with each piece of performance. And Bryce Dallas Howard is definitely at her best. One could make a great argument that hers is one of the better female film performances of the decade.
I walked away from that Harkins theater feeling so much more appreciative of love and life.
It's just that kind of movie.