Blog Post # 13 : Chariots of Fire (1981) : Legs of Lightning

'Chariots of Fire' is a 1981 British historical drama film. It tells the real life story of two athletes  : Eric Liddell, a devout Scottish Christian who runs for the glory of God, and Harold Abrahams, an English Jew who runs to overcome prejudice and both their exploits in the 1924 Olympics . The film received 7 nominations and won 4 Oscars, cementing it as one of the best movies of all time. The film was rated 7.3/10 on IMDB and 83% on Rotten Tomatoes.

For glory. For country. For a gold medal.

Plot :

In 1919, Harold Abrahams enters the University of Cambridge, where he experiences anti-Semitism from the staff, but enjoys participating in the Gilbert and Sullivan club. He becomes the first person to ever complete the Trinity Great Court Run (running around the college courtyard in the time it takes for the clock to strike 12). Abrahams achieves an undefeated string of victories in various national running competitions. Although focused on his running, he falls in love with a leading Gilbert and Sullivan soprano, Sybil. Eric Liddell, born in China of Scottish missionary parents, is in Scotland. His devout sister Jennie disapproves of Liddell's plans to pursue competitive running. But Liddell sees running as a way of glorifying God before returning to China to work as a missionary. When they first race against each other, Liddell beats Abrahams. Abrahams takes it poorly, but Sam Mussabini, a professional trainer whom he had approached earlier, offers to take him on to improve his technique. This attracts criticism from the Cambridge college masters, who allege it is not gentlemanly for an amateur to "play the tradesman" by employing a professional coach. Abrahams dismisses this concern, interpreting it as cover for anti-Semitic and class-based prejudice. When Eric Liddell accidentally misses a church prayer meeting because of his running, his sister Jennie upbraids him and accuses him of no longer caring about God. Eric tells her that though he intends to eventually return to the China mission, he feels divinely inspired when running, and that not to run would be to dishonour God, saying, "I believe that God made me for a purpose. But He also made me fast, and when I run, I feel His pleasure." The two athletes, after years of training and racing, are accepted to represent Great Britain in the 1924 Olympics in Paris. Also accepted are Abrahams' Cambridge friends, Lord Andrew Lindsay, Aubrey Montague, and Henry Stallard. While boarding the boat to Paris for the Olympics, Liddell learns the news that the heat for his 100-metre race will be on a Sunday, which is on the Sabbath. He refuses to run the race despite strong pressure from the Prince of Wales and the British Olympic committee because his Christian convictions prevent him from running on the Sabbath. Hope appears when Liddell's teammate Lindsay, having already won a silver medal in the 400 metres hurdles, proposes to yield his place in the 400-metre race on the following Thursday to Liddell, who gratefully agrees. His religious convictions in the face of national athletic pride make headlines around the world. Abrahams is badly beaten by the heavily favoured United States runners in the 200 metre race. He knows his last chance for a medal will be the 100 metres. He competes in the race, and wins. His coach Sam Mussabini is overcome that the years of dedication and training have paid off with an Olympic gold medal. Now Abrahams can get on with his life and reunite with his girlfriend Sybil, whom he had neglected for the sake of running. Before Liddell's race, the American coach remarks dismissively to his runners that Liddell has little chance of doing well in his now far longer 400 metre race. But one of the American runners, Jackson Scholz, hands Liddell a note of support for his convictions. Liddell defeats the American favourites and wins the gold medal. The British team returns home triumphant. As the film ends, onscreen text explains that Abrahams married Sybil, and became the elder statesman of British athletics. Liddell went on to missionary work in China. All of Scotland mourned his death in 1945 in Japanese-occupied China.

Analysis & Reflection :

When I was little, I used to compete in all running events for my class and sports house, as I was always the fastest runner. Therefore, when I watched this movie, I couldn't help but feel a tinge of nostalgia. Any and every person who has ever played sports competitively would have felt stress, nervousness, passion, and hope on the journey to success. In this film, it was clear that both Abrahams and Liddell felt this, and the film centred around these themes, especially their motivations. 

The moment Abrahams knew he had to beat Liddell or die trying

First of all, Abrahams was a Jew, and was subject to discrimination and prejudice in the English society. This made him insecure and inferior, and according to Alfred Adler’s theory of the inferiority complex, feelings as the source of human striving seem to fit Abrahams and his behavior really well. Based on the theory, it was posited that all humans experience inferiority and was the cause of all human striving and motivations. Humans would then grow from the effort of overcoming the inferiority, a process he (Adler) called compensation. This could be seen in Abraham's personality, when he was motivated to train for running due to his overwhelming desire to fit in the society despite prejudice and being recognized as an excellent gold medal winner by the entire world. It is particularly evident in one scene in the movie, where he (Abrahams) tells Sybil about his motivations for running, which starts with Sybil asking him whether he loved running, to which he replies "I'm more of an addict actually. It's a compulsion. A weapon". She then asks him "Against what?" to which he then replies "Being Jewish, I suppose".

And if I lose? 0_0

On the other hand, Liddell's motivation was derived from his faith in God. According to McClelland's needs-motivation theory, a human's motivation is derived from 3 things, namely achievement, power, and affiliation. Power is divided into two types, namely personal power and institutional power. In this context, Liddell is motivated by the need for institutional power, in which the institution is Christianity. He is depicted as a very very religious man in the film, even going so far as to decide to not run on the Sabbath and attend church. He even tells his sister, Jennie, that he believes that God created him, but also made him to be fast, and believes that to not run at all would be to dishonour God, indicating that God is the main reason for Liddell's participation in the Olympics.

GOD HELP ME

Conclusion :

This movie was fast-paced (pun intended) but still managed to explain the back stories of Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell, both of whom were real-life people who achieved what was depicted in the movie. A story of hope and success, the movie teaches us to never give up on our dreams.

*Cue music*

Rating : 6/10

Blog Post # 12 : Schindler's List (1993) : Holocaust Hero

One of my personal favourites, Schindler's List is a 1993 American epic historical period drama film, directed and co-produced by Steven Spielberg and scripted by Steven Zaillian. It is based on the novel 'Schindler's Ark' by Thomas Keneally, an Australian novelist. The film is based on the life of Oskar Schindler, an ethnic German businessman who saved the lives of more than a thousand mostly Polish-Jewish refugees during the Holocaust by employing them in his factories. It stars Liam Neeson as Schindler, Ralph Fiennes as Schutzstaffel (SS) officer Amon Goeth, and Ben Kingsley (who has a knack for acting in award-winning films) as Schindler's Jewish accountant, Itzhak Stern. The movie received 12 nominations, and won a staggering amount of 7 Oscars, and various other awards. The movie was rated 8.9/10 on IMDB and a crazy-high 96% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Hail

Plot :

In Kraków during World War II, the Germans had forced local Polish Jews into the overcrowded Kraków Ghetto. Oskar Schindler, an ethnic German, arrives in the city hoping to make his fortune. A member of the Nazi Party, Schindler lavishes bribes on Wehrmacht (German armed forces) and SS officials and acquires a factory to produce enamelware. To help him run the business, Schindler enlists the aid of Itzhak Stern, a local Jewish official who has contacts with black marketeers and the Jewish business community. Stern helps Schindler arrange loans to finance the factory. Schindler maintains friendly relations with the Nazis and enjoys wealth and status as "Herr Direktor", and Stern handles administration. Schindler hires Jewish workers because they cost less, while Stern ensures that as many people as possible are deemed essential to the German war effort, which saves them from being transported to concentration camps or killed. SS-Untersturmführer (second lieutenant) Amon Goeth arrives in Kraków to oversee construction of Płaszów concentration camp. When the camp is completed, he orders the ghetto liquidated. Many people are shot and killed in the process of emptying the ghetto. Schindler witnesses the massacre and is profoundly affected. He particularly notices a tiny girl in a red coat – one of the few splashes of color in the black-and-white film – as she hides from the Nazis, and later sees her body (identifiable by the red coat) among those on a wagonload being taken away to be burned. Schindler is careful to maintain his friendship with Goeth and, through bribery and lavish gifts, continues to enjoy SS support. Goeth brutally mistreats his maid and randomly shoots people from the balcony of his villa, and the prisoners are in constant daily fear for their lives. As time passes, Schindler's focus shifts from making money to trying to save as many lives as possible. He bribes Goeth into allowing him to build a sub-camp for his workers so that he can better protect them. As the Germans begin to lose the war, Goeth is ordered to ship the remaining Jews at Płaszów to Auschwitz concentration camp. Schindler asks Goeth to allow him to move his workers to a new munitions factory he plans to build in his home town of Zwittau-Brinnlitz. Goeth agrees, but charges a huge bribe. Schindler and Stern create "Schindler's List" – a list of people to be transferred to Brinnlitz and thus saved from transport to Auschwitz. The train carrying women and children is accidentally redirected to Auschwitz-Birkenau; Schindler bribes Rudolf Höss, the commandant of Auschwitz with a bag of diamonds to win their release. At the new factory, Schindler forbids the SS guards to enter the production rooms and encourages the Jews to observe the Jewish Sabbath. To keep his workers alive, he spends much of his fortune bribing Nazi officials and buying shell casings from other companies; his factory does not produce any usable armaments during its seven months of operation. Schindler runs out of money in 1945, just as Germany surrenders, ending the war in Europe. As a Nazi Party member and war profiteer, Schindler must flee the advancing Red Army to avoid capture. The SS guards have been ordered to kill the Jews, but Schindler persuades them not to so they can "return to their families as men, not murderers." He bids farewell to his workers and prepares to head west, hoping to surrender to the Americans. The workers give Schindler a signed statement attesting to his role saving Jewish lives, together with a ring engraved with a Talmudic quotation: "Whoever saves one life saves the world entire." Schindler is touched but is also deeply ashamed, as he feels he should have done even more. As the Schindlerjuden (Schindler Jews) wake up the next morning, a Soviet soldier announces that they have been liberated. The Jews leave the factory and walk to a nearby town. Following scenes depicting Goeth's execution after the war and a summary of Schindler's later life, the black-and-white frame changes to a color shot of actual Schindlerjuden at Schindler's grave in Jerusalem. Accompanied by the actors who portrayed them, the Schindlerjuden place stones on the grave.

Analysis & Reflection :

To survive in Nazi Germany as a Jew, you needed intelligence, skills, a healthy body and most of all, luck, which in the context of the movie meant working for Oskar. The shot of the camps where they had gassed the “unfit” Jews reminded me of Frankl’s experience, in which even he was lucky enough to escape death at the beginning of his slave days. In his (Frankl) book, 'Man's Search for Meaning', he told of his experiences and was very lucky indeed to have survived the whole ordeal, partly due to his will and purpose of living, something that was difficult to find in tragic times as he was in, at the Auschwitz camp. After reading the entire book a few months ago, I decided that since Frankl could survive the whole experience during his time at the Auschwitz concentration camp (with the lowest amount of hope that anyone could ever have but yet , he still found meaning in living), as could I, with my everyday life problems, which can be considered minute compared to Frankl's problems at the time. 

No Wifi?!? And you think you've got problems?

  

The Lady in Red

In the photo above is one of the few scenes in the movie with actual color in it apart from the constant black and white. To me, it signified the change in Schindler’s conscience that made him do what he did throughout the movie. what was truly captivating to me is that the director used that moment to highlight that little girls movement in a crowd of cruelty and uncertainty, which somehow indicated that everything that was transpiring around the little girl did not faze her and change her innocence, or that even the innocent were not spared. 

Where Am I

Schindler’s list is nothing short of a brilliant movie. It showed the views of various different people within and outside the camps, namely that there were some sympathizers in some group of Germans, whereas some merely relished in their glory and power as others suffered. The levels of hatred we saw in the Germans towards the Jews were unreal, as if that they had had millenia of disgust, disagreements, and rage towards them. Some scenes even showed German children throwing dirt at adult Jews showed the effect that had been passed down from their own parents (nature or nurture, it's their parent's fault). Watching the movie now just makes it seem so much more unreal as the thought of such slave labor and mass killing is just too much for the generation of today to even think about. The question that arose from watching the movie is "what truly made the Nazi soldiers treat the Jews in such a way that remorse was rarely ever seen on their face, if any?" The relationship between the Jews and the Nazi militants reminded me of Zimbardo’s Stanford prison experiment. Despite criticisms on his part, it would seem that when explaining situations of such, his research still holds possibly the best value in which we can study to look for concrete answers. This is due to the experiment possibly being able to indicate the Germans at the time only hated the Jews because they were told to do so (as seen by a scene where Schindler was reprimanded for kissing a Jewish girl at his birthday party).

"Mate, you can't do that, it's against the law"

Conclusion :

All in all a fantastic movie, it makes you ponder on the capabilities of us humans to do both great and destructive things to our fellow man. As we possess the ability to do good, do we also possess the ability to do evil. This film about the Holocaust gives us a glimpse of what the Jews once suffered through, and serves as a painful reminder of tragic history, and the dark side of mankind. That being said, the movies created about the subject matter should be as accurate as can be, as although the depictions were wrong then, and is wrong now, but they should be depicted exactly as they were when it happened, because to do otherwise would be the same as claiming that these tragic occurrences never happened.

You PARDON them

Oh what a movie

Like this class :'(

Rating : 9/10

Blog Post # 11 : Grace is Gone (2007) : How to Cope with the Death of a Loved One

'Grace Is Gone' is a 2007 drama film starring famed actor John Cusack as a father who cannot bring himself to tell his two daughters that their mother, a soldier in the American army, has just been killed on a tour of duty in Iraq. On January 29, 2007, it won the Audience Award for Drama at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. The film was produced by Plum Pictures and New Crime Productions and purchased by Harvey Weinstein for distribution by The Weinstein Company. Weinstein announced plans to mount an Academy Award campaign on behalf of Cusack. This also marks the first time Clint Eastwood composed the score for a film which he did not write, direct or star in, and the score earned the film 2 Golden Globe nominations. The film was rated 6.8/10 on IMDB and 62% on Rotten Tomatoes.

But Stan is still here

Plot :

Stanley Phillips is a middle-aged Army veteran caring for his two daughters, 12-year-old Heidi and 8-year-old Dawn, while his wife, Grace, serves in Iraq. One afternoon, two Army officers visit his home and inform him that Grace has been killed in combat. In shock, Stanley dreads having to tell his daughters of their mother's death. When they arrive home from school, he takes them out to dinner and plans to tell them afterward. Unable to, he instead decides to take them to Enchanted Gardens, a theme park in Florida that the girls have been wanting to visit for some time. That evening, he calls his home to hear Grace's voice on their answering machine. The following morning, they arrive at Stanley's mother's house, who is out. Instead they find Stanley's younger brother, John. Stanley encourages the three to go out to lunch. During their absence, he finally breaks down and mourns Grace. Upon returning, John receives a call from a family friend expressing their condolences for Grace's death. John angrily confronts Stanley, demanding to know why he hasn't told the girls. Stanley says he will eventually. The trio leave and later that day, stay at a motel. While Stanley is out of the room, Heidi calls her school to inform them that she and Dawn will be out for a few days. She notices her principal, who informs her that her teacher has taken maternity leave, is unusually sympathetic. The following afternoon at a gas station, Stanley calls their answering machine again, leaving a message saying he wished it'd been him that'd been deployed instead of Grace. Heidi asks who he was speaking to and grows suspicious after Stanley tells her he was talking to her teacher at the school. That evening, the three arrive at Enchanted Gardens. At their hotel, Heidi calls home and hears Stanley's message to Grace, growing even more suspicious. The next day, the three spend their time at the park, having the most fun since Grace departed for Iraq. Stanley is reluctant to leave as he knows he will soon have to tell them of Grace's death. He takes the girls to a nearby beach and finally informs them that Grace has died. The three embrace and mourn her as the sun sets. At Grace's funeral, Heidi writes an eulogy and reads it aloud. The film ends with Stanley, Heidi and Dawn at her (Grace's) grave.

Analysis & Reflection :

Based on the title of the film itself, it is clear that one of the major themes of the film would be loss and grief. One particular person who exhibited more grief than anyone else in the film was Stan, who found it really difficult to cope with his wife's death and the fact that he had to inform his two daughters about the news sometime in the future. According to Kubler-Ross's stages of grief, Stan exhibited various forms of grief at different times throughout the film. For example, Stan exhibits denial when he chooses to ignore the problem at hand and brings his children to Enchanted Gardens to have fun. He then also exhibits anger when he fights with his brother, John, about informing his daughters about their mother's death. Stan portrays the third stage, bargaining, by talking to his wife through the phone, wishing that he was the one that got deployed instead of her. The fourth stage, depression, is exhibited by Stan throughout the whole film, where he tries to distract himself by trying to have fun with his daughters at Enchanted Gardens and allowing them to pierce their ears. Finally, acceptance is portrayed towards the end of the film, where Stan finally lets his daughters know about their mother and the three accept and mourn their loss together.

Don't let them in, don't let them see, be the good dad you always have to be.

However, there are also many different ways that each individual deals with grief, and that leads to different interpretations of the movie. For example, Stan could have already accepted that his wife was dead at the start of the film but was worried about how his daughters would react to the news, so instead he fulfills all their wants and dreams, in a possible attempt to 'soften the blow' before delivering the tragic news. In the context of this alternative interpretation, Stan could be doing as explained above, which would explain why he fought with John and called his wife; what all of them had in common was the topic of letting his daughters know about their mother's death.

How do I tell them :/

Apart from Stan, the other two characters, his daughters, also had to adapt to the sudden transition that their father suddenly experienced and applied upon them. Heidi and Dawn were also perceived to have been affected by their mother's absence, and the effects were depicted quite obviously in the film, in the form of Heidi's insomnia and the time when Dawn hid in the toy house after piercing her ears. Regardless of their cheerful attitudes when having fun at the Enchanted Gardens, Heidi was suspicious, even coming close to discovering that her mother had died before her father had told her due to Stan's unusual behaviour, and Stan had nervous breakdowns, where he had to take breaks to make phone calls to cope with the situation. Dawn was just too young and playful to suspect anything wrong with the situation.

Dammit Dawn your mum is dead can you behave 

Conclusion :

Anybody and everybody that has lost a loved one before can relate to this movie, as it does remind all of us just how difficult it is, with the process of mourning and state of grief experienced. Probably one of John Cusack's finest performances in his career, this movie really does capture the essence of coping with the death of a loved one.  

Really? only a 6.5/10?

  Rating : 6.5/10

Blog Post # 10 : Sybil (1976) : Chun Keat

Sybil is a 1976 American mystery drama film that originally aired as a made-for-television miniseries. It is based on the book of the same name, and was nominated for 1 Golden Globe award. The film was rated 8/10 on IMDB and 88% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Trapped....within yourself

Plot :
Sybil is a shy, unassuming substitute grade school teacher. After suffering a small breakdown in front of her students, she is given a neurological examination by Dr. Cornelia Wilbur, a psychiatrist. Sybil admits to having blackouts and fears they are getting worse. Dr. Wilbur theorizes that the incidents are a kind of hysteria, all related to a deeper problem. She asks Sybil to return at a later date for more counselling. Later that evening, Dr. Wilbur receives a late night call from someone who identifies herself as Vickie and says Sybil is about to jump out a hotel window. Dr. Wilbur rescues Sybil, who denies knowing Vickie. Suddenly Sybil becomes hysterical and begins speaking like a little girl. This little girl introduces herself as Peggy, and Wilbur realizes that Sybil is suffering from dissociative identity disorder. Vickie introduces herself to Wilbur at the next session. Vickie, who knows everything about the other personalities, tells Wilbur about some of them, including Marcia, who is suicidal and wants to kill Sybil, and Vanessa, who plays the piano although Sybil has not played in years and swears she forgot how to play piano. Over the weeks, each of the personalities introduce themselves to Wilbur. At the same time, the personality Vanessa falls in love with a charming neighbour named Richard. Wilbur finally explains to Sybil about the other personalities. As proof, Wilbur plays the session's tape to allow Sybil to hear their voices, but when a voice that sounds like Sybil's mother Hattie speaks, an infant personality named Ruthie emerges. Wilbur is unable to communicate with the pre-verbal child and must wait until Sybil returns. Life becomes more chaotic for Sybil as the other personalities grow stronger. The personalities make Dr. Wilbur a Christmas card, but Sybil made everything purple, a colour that frightens Peggy. Dr. Wilbur hypnotizes Vickie and asks about the purple. Vickie relates a memory of a time Sybil's mother locked young Sybil in the wheat bin in the barn. Thinking she was smothering, Sybil used her purple crayon to scratch on the inside of the bin so someone would know she had been there. Vanessa invites Richard and his son Matthew to have Christmas dinner, after which Richard spends the night in Sybil's apartment. Sybil has a nightmare and awakens as Marsha, who tries to throw herself off the roof. Richard rescues her and calls Wilbur. Soon afterwards, Richard moves away, crushing both Sybil and Vanessa. Once again confronted with her diagnosis, Sybil attempts to convince Wilbur that she has in fact been faking all of the other personalities the entire time and denies that multiple personalities exist within her. Wilbur goes in search of Sybil's father, who mentions that Sybil's mother Hattie was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, but denies that she ever abused Sybil. Wilbur also seeks out Sybil's paediatrician. The doctor gives Wilbur a frightening account of extensive scarring he found while treating Sybil for a bladder problem. Finally, Wilbur visits the old Dorsett house, where she discovers the green kitchen Sybil's selves have described many times. She also finds the purple crayon scratches inside the wheat bin. She takes them back to New York City to prove all the memories really happened. Dr. Wilbur takes Sybil for a drive, during which Peggy spills out the horrific abuse she suffered at her mother's hands. After Peggy exhausts herself, Sybil emerges, remembering everything that Peggy has just said. Finally she is able to express her rage against her mother. Dr. Wilbur hypnotizes Sybil to introduce her to the other personalities. Sybil, who has always been frightened of Peggy, meets her at last and is surprised that she is only a little girl. Sybil embraces a weeping Peggy. The film ends with a voiceover from Dr. Wilbur explaining that after this incident, Sybil recovered her memories and went on to live a full and happy life.

Analysis & Reflection :
It is rare to see films that represent psychological themes so accurately in cinema, and Sybil is one of those films. When watching the film, it was very clear that the central theme the film focused on was the dissociative identity disorder that Sybil had. Apart from the brilliant acting by actress Sally Field, the disorder itself portrayed the symptoms and roots of the problem very accurately, based on the real-life scientific information of dissociative identity disorder, stemming from the physical and mental abuse from Sybil's disillusioned mother, to the fact that Sybil was unaware of her various multiple personalities until she was told otherwise by Dr. Wilbur.

Whaaaaaaaat? I have D.I.D.??

Another aspect of the film that intrigued me (as a psychology student) was the relationship between  Dr. Wilbur and Sybil. It is clear that psychology students learn that counsellors or psychiatrists are not to get too emotionally attached to their clients, as portrayed in the movie when Dr. Wilbur was told by her colleague to not get too attached to Sybil, with respect to the client-psychiatrist relationship; to stay professional. However, as the film progressed it was apparent that Dr. Wilbur got too enthusiastic and emotionally attached to Sybil. This however resulted in Dr. Wilbur being able to successfully cure Sybil at the end of the film, which then puts the original ethical code of attachment into question; whether it would be okay for psychiatrists to be more attached to patients with specific disorders. However, this is also portrayed in a film, and thus cannot be assumed to be as applicable in the real world as was in the film. There were also some instances in the film where Dr. Wilbur broke confidentiality and told Richard about Sybil's disorder when she (Sybil) was about to commit suicide as Marcia (one of her personalities).

It's okay dear, I'm here. I broke my ethic code too so I'm crying inside.

Conclusion :
Although a very long movie, spanning over three hours, the film taught me more about how a patient with dissociative identity disorder deals with life and how patients with mental disorders in general deal with life differently from all of us. Speaking from the non-biased lips of a possible future counsellor or psychiatrist, it is important that we not look down upon or go as far as to discriminate the less fortunate or mentally ill, as they already have enough problems as is, trying to find a place in society.

YESSS, don't discriminate them, LOVEEE them

Rating : 7.5/10

Blog Post # 9 : The Sixth Sense (1999) : The Ninth Blog Post

The Sixth Sense is one of M. Night Shyamalan's greatest movies, and probably his most famous one to date. This film officially introduced and established him in society as a director and writer most notable for his surprise endings. The film was nominated for 6 Oscars, but unfortunately did not win any. IMDB rated the film a staggering 8.1/10 and Rotten Tomatoes 85%.

But every blessing is a gift

Plot :
mode. I believe that's what should make a good horror flick. It should be able to produce some form of psychological response or, strictly speaking of producing good horror films, a mild degree of psychological trauma. As much as technology has advanced in this day and age to make blood and gore look realistic, it simply does not do well in leaving a lasting impression that most films should strive for.

Dr. Malcolm Crowe, a child psychologist in Philadelphia, returns home one night with his wife, Anna, after having been honored for his work. Anna tells Malcolm that everything is second to his work, and that she believes he is truly gifted. Just then, a young man appears in their bathroom, and accuses Malcolm of failing him. Malcolm recognizes him as Vincent Grey, a former patient whom he treated as a child for hallucinations. After Malcolm realizes he did fail him, Vincent shoots his former doctor before killing himself. The next fall, Malcolm begins working with another patient, 9-year-old Cole Sear, whose case is similar to Vincent's. Malcolm becomes dedicated to the boy, though he is haunted by doubts over his ability to help him after his failure with Vincent. Meanwhile, he and his wife seldom, if ever, speak or do anything together. Malcolm feels he must help Cole in order to rectify his failure to help Vincent and reconcile with his wife. Cole's mother, Lynn, who truly loves him, worries about his social stamina, especially after seeing signs of physical abuse. Cole eventually confides his secret to Malcolm: he sees dead people, who walk around like the living unaware they are dead. At first, Malcolm thinks Cole is delusional and considers dropping him. Remembering Vincent, the psychologist listens to an audiotape from a session with Vincent in 1987, then a child. On the tape, when Malcolm leaves the room, and then returns, Vincent was crying. Turning up the volume, Malcolm hears a weeping man begging for help in Spanish, and now believes that Cole is telling the truth and that Vincent may have had the same ability. He suggests to Cole that he should try to find a purpose for his gift by communicating with the ghosts and perhaps aid them with their unfinished business. At first, Cole is unwilling since the ghosts terrify and sometimes even threaten him, but he finally decides to do it. Cole talks to one of the ghosts, Kyra Collins, a young chronically ill girl who recently died. He goes with Malcolm to her funeral reception at her home, where Kyra directs him to a box holding a videotape, which he then gives to her father. The tape shows Kyra's mother putting a cleaning fluid in her soup. By proving she was a victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, Cole has saved Kyra's younger sister, the mother's next victim. Learning to live with the ghosts he sees, Cole starts to fit in at school and gets the lead in the school play, which Malcolm attends. The doctor and patient depart on positive terms and Cole suggests to Malcolm that he should try speaking to Anna while she is asleep. Later, while stuck in a traffic jam, Cole confesses his secret to his mother, saying that someone died in an accident up ahead and he knows because the person is right next to him. Lynn does not see the recently deceased, but Cole sees a woman cyclist with blood dripping down her face. Although his mother at first does not believe him, Cole proves his ability to her by talking about how his grandmother visits him. He describes how his grandmother saw his mother in a dance performance, even though Lynn thought her mother was not there. He further relays the answer to a question his mother privately asked at her mother's grave. When Cole says that his grandmother feels proud of Lynn, his mother tearfully accepts the truth and they hug each other. Malcolm returns home, where he finds his wife asleep with their wedding video playing. While still asleep, Anna asks her husband why he left her, and drops Malcolm's wedding ring, which he suddenly discovers he has not been wearing. He remembers what Cole said about ghosts and realizes that he was actually killed by Vincent that night, and was unknowingly dead the entire time he was working with Cole. Because of Cole's efforts, Malcolm's unfinished business, which was to rectify his failure to understand and help Vincent, is finally complete. Malcolm also fulfills the second reason he returned, which was to tell his wife that she was never second, and that he loves her. His goal complete, he is finally free to leave the world of the living.

Analysis & Reflection :

The mechanics behind The Sixth Sense that gives the film its unique form of horror is that many times throughout the film it manages to lead you on into believing that some grotesque horror scene is coming up next, only to disappoint. On the other hand, sometimes it makes it seem as though the worst is over only to jump out at you when you least suspect it, which is exactly what gives the movie its charm. The inconsistency of scene endings are what keep people in a state of tension (and to a certain extent, anxiety) as the audience would be kept in a constant state of fear and anticipation, trying to predict the next scene. We are, in a way, trying to fight the urge to be lulled into a sense of security by all the false alarms. In a way, we, as the audience, have been classically conditioned by the film. For example,  the horror scenes (UCS) evokes fear (UCR) and eerie music (CS) has been paired with some horrific incident that can now elicit fear (CR). However, when horror scenes (UCS) are removed from the equation, our natural instincts would tell us that the relationship is weakening and is no longer a cause for fear, hence, extinction. Yet just as the extinction process occurs, the horror scenes reappear again. Because we can no longer predict when the aversive stimulus will appear, we set ourselves in a constant state of arousal.

OMG will this movie chill, I'm trying to eat something

A major theme in the film, of course, is fear. Fear is usually derived from experience, and can be classified into two stages; biochemical, and emotional. When fearing something instinctively due to experience or knowledge, the biochemical reaction of our body provides a fight-or-flight response, which has helped us survive as a species in an evolutionary aspect. The emotional aspect is where we remember the fear and generate them the next time we encounter the stimulus, which is referred to as a phobia. For example, the fact that Cole can see dead people has become a phobia for him, hence the need for him to see a psychologist.

Another Fear : Not being believed

Conclusion :

As indicated above, an example of fear would be the fact that throughout the movie, the audience was kept in a constant state of arousal, fear, and anticipation, which were created from elements in the movie. In general, it means that this film has classically conditioned the audience into a state of fear, but yet is still able to provide a sense of surprise, indicating a work of a genius on director M. Night Shyamalan's part. However, the implications of this style of filming are that although terrific when watched for the first time, the movie loses its appeal when rewatched again, as there is then a lack of suspense and surprise, which are the essential elements of what makes this such a great movie. 

Only the first time, because people still don't believe him yet

Rating : 8.5/10

A film worth dying for