M Night Shyamalan Analysis

Whether it was sitting in a dark room of a friends house, or huddled around a campfire in the middle of the woods, ghost have been a popular topic for scary stories. For a kid’s imagination a ghost is a provocative and terrifying idea, which are usually accompanied by goose bumps and an eerily feeling. For Cole, a main character in M. Night Shyamalan’s movie the sixth-sense, ghost are not just an idea in his imagination, but are part of his daily reality. Cole had a very strange “secret” in which he can see and communicate with ghost. A child psychologist named Malcolm Crowe, played by Bruce Willis, attempts to help Cole not be scared of his secret, and figure out what the ghosts want with him. Throughout the movie both Cole and Malcolm help …show more content…
Shyamalan used darkness throughout the movie, to show the unknown and the battle with in Malcolm. At the beginning of the movie we meet one of Malcolm's former patients, Vincent Grey. When he is introduced to the audience Vincent has just broken into Malcolm's bedroom and is standing almost naked in the bathroom. As Malcolm struggles to figure out who the stranger is that just broke into his house. Malcolm falls deeper and deeper into the room, and becomes engulfed by the darkness ( Shyamalan,7;20). Showing Malcolm's fear and struggle to figure out this man and get himself and his wife out of danger. Another use of lighting was the second time malcolm meet with cole. Malcolm and Cole were both sitting in Coles livingroom. Malcolm sat in a chair near a window, his face was half lit by the light from the window and half concealed by darkness(Shyamalan, 26:55). This scene is significant in showing the uncertainty and fear malcolm struggles with when working with cole. Malcolm struggles with trying to help Cole and keep him from ending up like Malcolm's other patient, However, the light from the window gives off a feeling of hope within Malcolm, hope that he can help Cole and help redeem his failure with VIncent Grey, who Malcolm was not able to help. This interior battle with Malcolm also becomes apparent when Malcolm is sitting at dinner with his, wife on their anniversary dinner. Malcome and his wife are sitting at a table with a lamp in the middle of the table and yet both are sitting in darkness, no light shines on their faces (Shyamalan, 29:32). When both Malcolm and his wife are both sitting in the darkness, it give the viewer a feeling of uncertainty and sadness. It gives the feeling of uncertainty in where Malcolm and his wife's relationship is headed, makes the viewer feel like their relationship is strained and unhappy. The feeling of sadness