Unbreakable

I was watching M. Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable (2000) again the other day so I could observe his brilliant movie making techniques. The first thing I noticed were the long takes and "reveals" in scenes. For example, Bruce Willis is standing at his locker with the locker door open, talking to someone out of frame. When he closes the locker, we see the man he was talking to standing in the doorway. The actors do not move in this scene...the only thing that moves is the locker door. This lack of movement gives emphasis to the dialog and the emotion of the characters talking because we are not distracted by movement.

This happens all through the movie beginning in the train with the shots of Willis behind the seats.

I also noticed that the long takes really slowed the pace of the movie which was what Shyamalan wanted...Willis slowly beginning to understand who he is really is.

The amazing landscape mural in the restaurant scene was surreal, making it appear like the couple was in another world. Stunning!

The idea of "framing" was captured with scenes in doorways and windows...like pages of a comic book.

Shyamalan's comments about the movie were very interesting. He had originally planned the typical Superhero movie. Act one - hero discovers he has powers. Act two - hero showcases his powers by battling the villain. Act three - hero confronts villain and is victorious. But Shyamalan said that he wasn't inspired by the predictability of Acts two and three. He decided to make the whole movie about Act one where the hero discovers that he his a superhero. The audience discovers this at the same time and we are led along on the journey.

This is a movie you can watch again and again because of the beauty of the cinematography and the inclusion of symbolic visual motifs that enhance the story and characters.