The Village’s Ending Explained

The village The ending has one of M. Night Shyamalan’s most controversial twists, but the film and its conclusion have some deeper and more interesting themes. With a star-studded cast consisting of Bryce Dallas Howard, Joaquin Phoenix, William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, Adrien Brody, Judy Greer and Jesse Eisenberg, The village is one of Shyamalan’s most ambitious efforts. Although it received mixed reviews and box office returns well behind Shyamalan’s hits such as The Sixth Sense and Signs (through Mojo Box Office), The village the ending and its twist still generate conversation decades after its 2004 release.

The village follows the community of a small, isolated Pennsylvania village who live in fear of the creatures of the surrounding forest – known as “The ones we don’t talk about.” The village builds suspense as the residents try to lead their normal 19th century lives while living in fear. In the end, the truth is revealed that the community exists in modern times and the “monsters” were costumed villagers who prowled the forest to discourage citizens from venturing out into the wider world. However The villageThe ending of was criticized, but it also reveals deeper themes of M. Night Shyamalan’s film.

The Village Ending reveals that the film is set in the present

Ivy discovers that it is 2004, in the world outside her 19th century village

The end of The village had a shocking twist that completely changed the film. Rather than being a film about a 19th century village plagued by monsters, it’s actually about a cult-like community that has isolated itself from the modern world – although those born in the village have no idea that the year is actually 2004 and never set foot beyond the forest. Part of The villageThe larger story revolves around the romance between two members of the community, Ivy (Bryce Dallas Howard) and Lucius (Joaquin Phoenix).

It’s when their arc comes to a head that the twist at the end of The village is revealed. After professing their love for each other, Ivy and Lucius plan to get married. However, another member of the community named Noah (Adrien Brody), who has a developmental disability, stabs Lucius out of jealousy towards Ivy.

Desperate to save Lucius, Ivy plans to leave the community in search of medicine. Before helping her on her quest, Ivy’s father, Edward (William Hurt), an Elder of the community, reveals that the monsters are not real and that the Elders have been keeping the legend alive to keep the younger members safe in the community. village.

Ivy ventures into the forbidden forest surrounding the community and eventually emerges on the other side where she meets a ranger. revealing that the film is set in modern day. As Ivy receives help from the park rangers, including a cameo from M. Night Shyamalan, the film reveals the story of Edward and the other Elders who met in grief counseling after losing loved ones to violence and founded the village decades ago. back to isolate themselves from the violence. the violent society of modern times.

Ivy returns to help Lucius, and because she is blind she has not learned the truth of the outside world, and Edward assures the other Elders that they will continue with the lie.

False clues and convenient plot details ruined the villa’s ending

Why The Village Ending Didn’t Work As Well As It Could Have Explained

The villageM. Night Shyamalan’s twist is seen as one of the worst, with some details surrounding the truth undermining the entire concept. The reveal of the creatures being faked by the village Elders is effective and enhances the narrative by adding themes of using fear to control people, going beyond a simple historical monster movie.

However, the reveal of the entire film taking place in the present has proven to be very implausible for many viewers. A cool tombstone in The villageM. Night Shyamalan’s opening scene is stamped with the year 1897, one detail among many that means M. Night Shyamalan’s surprise ending raises more questions than it answers.

Firstly, the fact that the Village Elders provided a false date to the community is an odd choice for a community designed to be completely isolated. The youngest members of the community are unaware of the outside world, so they do not need to be tricked into thinking they are living in the past. They have no reason to believe that technology in the 21st century was so far ahead of the 1800s – knowing the year was 2004 wouldn’t risk blowing the Ancient One’s cover. Therefore, the fake encounter exists to deceive the public, not the characters.

Furthermore, the vague explanation that the Walker family were billionaires and paid for the nature reserve to be a no-fly zone is overly convenient and decidedly implausible. The situation would undoubtedly lead to media coverage of the community and the entry of outsiders. The twist is also not foreshadowed by any part of the The villagethe story. Instead, it feels needlessly added simply to fill in the numerous plot holes.

Explanation of the village’s cult mentality and religious criticism

The elders and their message are a metaphor for modern religious extremism

The villageThe story explores some intriguing themes, even with the glaring flaws of the twist ending. Despite the good intentions of the community elders to keep everyone safe, the way they manipulate the villagers is incredibly sinister. As much free will is taken away from the villagers as they believe what they are told to believeand they are threatened with exile and living in isolation if they question the status quo — a distorted example of fear-mongering among the elderly.

This makes the village’s society seem like a cult, with bizarre, arbitrary rules and regular “attacks” from the creatures to keep the villagers in line. The superstitions followed by the villagers to appease the creatures apparently function as a critique of organized religion. Community members follow the ways of the village because it is what they know, with the unproven fears they have been conditioned to keeping their behavior in check.

There are clear parallels between The villagehistory and cults and contemporary religion, which means the film offers some insightful social commentary.

The village’s creatures represent the dark side of parental responsibility

M. Night Shyamalan explored difficult themes by removing the village’s supernatural elements

However The village reveals that the film’s monsters are not supernatural beings, the creatures have a deeper meaning. In addition to keeping the villagers scared and isolated, the creatures represent the darkness of The villagethe parents. The Village Elders see the creatures as a means to an end: they dress up and strike fear into the hearts of their families in order to maintain the status quo and protect their families.

The Elders see monsters as an extension of their responsibilities to their families and children. They represent the most unpleasant tasks necessary to protect their loved ones from what they consider an evil society. To the Elders, monsters represent modern society itself – an imminent threat that could claim the lives of any of their loved ones without warning.

The Village is about gaslighting, parental manipulation, and escape

The Village Finale Showcased Its More Complex Themes

Although M. Night Shyamalan’s twists are divisive, his films are often filled with narrative tropes and metaphors, and The village is no exception. One of the film’s biggest themes is the sometimes toxic relationship between children and their parents, and how that can affect a person. The Village Elders — the parents of your protagonists — are lying and manipulating the community for what they consider to be the greater good, suggesting that they believe ignorance is best for their families.

However, by exploring the idea of ​​Ivy discovering the truth, The village It’s more of a coming-of-age story of escape and growth.. Although she has been gaslit her entire life to fear the forest and creatures, Ivy bravely navigates blindly (literally and figuratively) due to the lies she has always believed.

Discovering the truth about his situation is a Shyamalan twist that is both silly and good, because while it undermines the film’s tension, it also speaks to The villagedeeper themes. Ivy must confront the ways in which she has been manipulated to literally ensure her own happy future, and although The village does not reveal whether she helps maintain the charade, her journey of understanding is at the center of the film.

The end of the village is Ivy confronting the lies of her elders

Ivy’s choice recontextualizes much of the film

As The village ends on an inconclusive note that can increase frustration with the film. If Ivy decides to stay in the village and keep up her parents’ lies, it will transform her journey of self-discovery, making her much more selfish. On the other hand, if she decides to expose the truth, that could be her biggest mistake ever. The villagebecause Ivy and all her loved ones would then be forced to reintegrate into modern society.

Taken at face value, The villageThe ending is happy. It is implied that Lucius is saved by the medicine brought by Ivy and that the two will marry as planned. On a deeper level, The villageIvy’s ending also sees Ivy learn the truth about the village and confront it to move on with her life, showing that she has overcome the tribulations of her youth and is free from the restrictions placed on her by the village Elders.

Although The villageShyamalan’s ending is considered one of the worst, but it still represents a social issue regarding the way parents treat their children, making the film an interesting allegory for the trauma of youth.

What the end of the village really means

Ivy briefly experiencing the modern world has a deeper metaphorical meaning

Many viewers and critics found the ending surprising. The village being among Shyamalan’s most implausible, with the main criticism being that it felt like a twist for the sake of having a twist. The revelation that the film was actually set in 2004 was considered an exaggeration by some. However, that doesn’t mean the ending is meaningless and conveys a deeper message that ties together the film’s central themes.

The residents of the titular village found modern society so lacking that they chose to retreat to the forest and live isolated from the rest of the world. Her children grew up completely unaware that the year was actually 2004. The only one who almost discovers the truth is, of course, Ivy. However, because she is blind, she cannot see the car that is looking for her or anything in the modern world.

The fact that none of the characters born in the village experience modernity is where much of the meaning of the end of The village lies. Ivy’s blindness can be seen as almost metaphorical, and what she experiences through her other senses during the film’s climax she does not fully understand.

This is a metaphor (albeit poorly executed) for the indoctrination of children into ideology by their parents. Ivy is—both literally and figuratively—blind to the truth of her circumstances, and her perspective on what she has experienced beyond the forest is shaped by the world that the elders in her community have built for her.

However, The village definitely not one of the best endings to an M. Night Shyamalan film. If the director had pulled off the ending with the skill of his other films, e.g. The Sixth Sense, the meaning could have been a little clearer and easier to understand. As it stands, the real message behind the ending of The village gets lost in how shocking the twist is when it arrives.

How the Village Ending Was Received

The twist at the end tainted the entire film

Leading to The villageM. Night Shyamalan was known as a filmmaker who would deliver surprise endings to all of his thrillers. This reputation allowed enthusiasm for The village build, but it ended up working against the film and Shyamalan himself. The film’s marketing had already constructed an intriguing narrative, leading audiences to enter the film wanting to know what the secret was behind the creatures that lived in the forest. This put incredible pressure on the turnaround that the project was unable to deliver on.

The revelation in The village was seen as one of the worst twist endings of any film. Some called it ridiculous, while others thought it was just disappointing. Regardless, this is what the conversation surrounding the entire film became. While the film’s harsh assessment is perhaps unfair, it’s not difficult to see how audiences were enthusiastic. The village with the reveal and why it failed while Shyamalan’s other twists worked.

In The Sixth Sensethe twist makes the main character, Malcolm, even more a part of the narrative than the audience realizes. In the story of a boy who can see ghosts, Malcolm reveals himself to be not only a psychiatrist helping young Cole, but also a ghost. In the same way, Unbreakable delivers by showing that Elijah wasn’t an outcast trying to help David find his way, but a villain looking to find his superhero counterpart in the world.

These twists improve the story and the world in which it takes place. The villagethe twist changes the world of the story. Shyamalan does a great job of making the world of this community exciting and engaging. The revelation that this is happening in modern times fools the audience, but not in the way they would like to be fooled. It destroys the story they were watching and creates something else. Likewise, monsters were once frightening and intriguing threats that have now become much less interesting.

There is also the question of the scope of the turnaround. In The Sixth Sense and Unbreakablethe twists are kept to one character and the audience just has to react to what this new truth about that character means. The villageThe twist changes the entire world of the story and the audience immediately starts thinking about how this could have been possible, with plot holes quickly emerging. In the end, the reaction The villageShyamalan’s ending damaged Shyamalan’s career and caused the film’s good qualities to be forgotten.