In 2010, the graphic novel Sandcastle, written by Pierre Oscar Lévy and illustrated by Frederik Peeters, was published. The book told the story of a group of people going to a seemingly idyllic beach with a dark secret. Director M. Night Shyamalan received a copy of the book as a Father’s Day gift from his daughter. After reading the book, he loved it and optioned the right to adapt it into a feature film. Due to The Visit, Split, and Glass, Shyamalan was able to convince Universal to greenlight the project. The film was shot in the Dominican Republic between September through November 2020, the first time Shyamalan worked outside Philadelphia. While initially scheduled for a February 26, 2021 release, the film saw delays due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Now under the title Old, Shyamalan’s latest film was released on July 23, 2021.
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Synopsis
Guy (Gael García Bernal), his wife Prisca (Vicky Krieps), and kids Trent (Nolan River) and Maddox (Alexa Swinton) are vacationing. They’re staying at a tropical resort when the manager (Gustaf Hammarsten) tells them about a nearby beach one day. Said beach is isolated from the hotel and is only accessible through a secret tunnel off the beaten path. Surgeon Charles (Rufus Sewell), his trophy wife Chrystal (Abbey Lee), and their daughter Kara (Kyle Bailey) arrive shortly after that. Another couple, Jarin (Ken Leung) and Patricia (Nikki Amuka-Bird), also arrive at the beach as things seem peaceful at first. Unfortunately, there’s trouble in paradise when a dead body turns up, and the group finds themselves stuck at the beach. Things get worse when Trent (Alex Wolff), Maddox (Thomasin McKenzie), and Kara (Eliza Scanlen) have aged several years very quickly. Time is quickly running out as they try to survive this nightmare.
Review
In terms of quality, Shyamalan’s movies have had their peaks and valleys, going from incredibly phenomenal to hilariously awful. Old sits somewhere in the middle, not being quite as good as Unbreakable but not as bad as The Happening. While the concept of rapid aging is nothing new, this film tackles it uniquely. It takes ordinary parts of growing up, namely how our bodies age, and twists them in some horrific ways. One minute, a 6-year-old girl is playing in the sand, and the next, she’s ten years older and giving birth. The film uses low-tech ways to show the passage of time, namely sweeping camera movements and enhanced sound design. Unfortunately, the writing isn’t the greatest, as much of the dialogue comes off sounding stilted and unnatural at times. It comes across as more unintentionally hilarious than how people talk.
Even if the dialogue isn’t the greatest, the cast all deliver stellar performances and make up for the material. Gael García Bernal and Vicky Krieps work off each other well as a couple struggling with their marriage. The child actors are surprisingly good, primarily because they act like actual children instead of miniature adults. Their aged-up counterparts are also great; Wolff and McKenzie especially shine as aged-up siblings trying to make sense of this. At slightly under two hours, the film does drag in spots, but the slow moments help to build up tension. The trademark Shyamalan twist somewhat derails the movie without getting into spoilers as it overexplains what’s been going on. This film is a case of the journey being better than the destination, though the ending might ruin it for others. Overall, Old has plenty going for it, but it’s a mixed bag.
Old is currently in theaters: https://fandan.co/3rmC7F2.
