by Sara W.

Created on: January 04, 2007   Last Updated: August 20, 2009

Humans used to believe in the supernatural realm, they used to move within the realm and interact with supernatural beings. But they became so busy and conquered so many things. Science and absolute knowledge now rule the Modern Era. This is how Shyamalan introduces his movie, Lady In The Water. If you were expecting a blockbuster smash horror movie like Texas Chainsaw Massacre, then you were in for a disappointment. But if you expected Shyamalan's classic artistic blend of all things spiritual and metaphorical, then you were in for a real treat. For Lady In The Water is a superb manifestation of both, it is in fact a spiritual metaphor.

The movie begins like a typical Shyamalan story: real people, organic, grungy setting, painful pasts. Everyone has some painful scar that holds them back from fulfilling their destiny. That was certainly the case for unsuspecting Cleveland Heep, the apartment manager. No one in a million years would have guessed that he had been a wealthy, successful doctor and family man a few years before. But pain and tragedy ripped apart his happy existence, and today he continues to punish himself for his perceived inadequacies and failures. Sound familiar? This type of character is frequent is Shyamalan's stories. Mel Gibson's character in Signs was also a guilt-ridden and tragic character.

But in Lady In The Water, aliens haven't come to take over the world and create chaos that unites people with their destinies. No, it is a mythical sea nymph named Story who collides with our world. What the viewers don't know at first is that she is only one of many mythological creatures that are yet to come. But the important fact is that the world of Myth has collided with the scientific and rational world, a place where few, if any, still believe in the power of Myth.

Story is a Sea Nymph who has lost her Guardian, and now must find someone who has the special gift of being able to fulfill that role. Her Guardian is someone who will protect her from the Scrunt, the evil nemisis of the Sea Nymph. So Story lands in the pool of poor Mr. Heep. Perhaps "lands" is not the correct term. It was more that she appeard, or "merged" with our realm. The point is, Cleveland's pool was the point in our world where our world and the world of Myth finally intersected. Thus the story ensues. The Sea Nymph, Story, is aptly named, for she not only represents a mythological character from the "Blue World", but she also represents all of Story, that part of our lives that transends us and moves us along, gives us hope and something to live for. It is True Myth. Why have we humans stopped believing?

Heep must overcome his own unbelief before he can begin to help Story. The sea nymph urges him to involve everyone in helping her get back to her Blue World safely. So Heep emplores everyone to play along, even though they do not quite realize the significance of the thing in which they are participating. One by one Story restores the faith of different characters. She urges them on to fulfill their destinies. An author afraid of writing his book is prompted to write it, knowing that he will be killed for doing so. But he knows that it is his destiny, and by writing the book he has achieved the greater good.

Story not only succeeds in building the characters' faith in themselves and in Myth, but she also helps them to realize that their lives are not meaningless. She helps them to see their vital roles in the physical world, but also in the Mythical world. The world of Story.

Story is a metaphor, but the metaphor is not far from the Truth.

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