how m. night made it 'happen'

SPOILER WARNING for those who were not able to watch m. night shyamalan’s latest movie—the happening. It was a very curious movie to watch, most especially because m. night wrote, produced, and directed it (he was in the movie too, as Joey, the mysterious guy calling the lead actress in the first few minutes of the movie. Haha!).

I love m. night’s movies, especially ‘the lady in the water’ and ‘the village’. Unfortunately, he also directed one of my least favorite—the signs (I just can’t understand why he chose to make a movie about aliens. Very classic yet disappointing).

Anyways, the movie really captivated me, even by just watching the trailer. Who could resist watching people jumping off buildings, a lady plunging a stick on her neck, people blowing their brains out using the same hand gun, a man feeding himself willingly to a bunch of lions in a zoo, a guy lying on the grass waiting to be run over by a giant lawnmower, a girl jumping off from her bedroom window, people hanging themselves on trees using electric cables, a guy slitting his wrist, a man driving his owner truck straight against a tree, and an a paranoid old lady banging her head against the walls and windows of her house till she dies. Very entertaining huh? (hehe)

Yeah…it’s mainly about people who commit suicide…and die. It’s really almost traumatic, watching people do these disturbing acts. But these are exactly what made this movie worth watching. Like most horror movies and thrillers, people just can’t get enough of them. Probably, because of how these visually-stimulating movies excites them, and stir their feelings of fear, despair, and anxiety. It’s quite weird really. It seems like people want to be scared. They enjoy having these kinds of extreme emotions. They like to jump on their seats in utter surprise, make their heart race, have goose bumps, and bite their nails in anxiety of the doom that will surely happen as the movie unfolds before their very eyes. They wouldn’t consider a horror movie a good one without feeling that familiar squirm in the stomach in the sight of blood or the anticipation of the ominous thing that will surely come.



‘The happening’ for me was a good watch for the fact that it made me think and ask questions…all hour and twenty minutes of it. But in the end my questions, were never answered, that is why I find this different from all m. night’s movies—questions like what really caused the phenomenon and why the people killed themselves (the storyline says it’s caused by neurotoxins released by plants, but there was no hard evidence to support this in the end), why the ‘happening’ only occurred on a small part of the United States and why that particular area (a small area of the north-east part of the country is only affected. But in the epilogue, it also finally happened abroad. In France if I am not mistaken), why it targeted smaller populations, what makes an individual susceptible to the phenomena (some people are affected, some are not, even if they’re on the same vicinity), and why it stopped abruptly. These are the most vital questions and yet, the answers were non-existent, hanging. And it’s very curious why m. night let that happen.

I have come to the conclusion that m. night didn’t plan to emphasize these vital parts. He left it hanging for people to formulate their own explanations about it. And most importantly, he seemed to emphasize on human emotions and behavior rather than to answer the questions behind the story. He wanted to capture how people behave when faced with the unknown, and how they find their way in the end. And I think this is what makes it in-essence with the other movies he directed. Most of his movies are fictional, and deals with the unknown and fantasy, but he makes it to a point that it’s still for real…makes the viewers believe that what the movie offers is true, not necessarily the facts, but how he still manage to make them real to the audience. His movies are very insightful. ‘The happening’ attempts to point out ethico-moral issues, mainly environmental. He tries to point out that the phenomenon is the result of the plants’ evolution and vengeance against the human race for its maltreatment of plant life on our planet. It also briefly discussed the disappearance of bees, and how this may affect life on earth. If bees become extinct, plants will have a hard time to reproduce, and that would mean starvation for mankind, since plants are our major food source since the beginning of time.

I recommend watching this film...but i will not be surprised if you don't like it. (hehe) Some of my friends who have already watched it say the same thing...the ending sucked! (haha).