(Movies) "Lady in the Water"

M. Night Shyamalan has never really been my favorite writer/director. Don't get me wrong, he's a pretty genius guy, and incredibly imaginative (minus "Signs"), but it has always seemed to me like his movies have focused a little too hard on the horror genre to be classics in my book. Yes, I have a book. However, I can honestly say that I am a huge fan of his storytelling. This is where M. Night Shyamalan shines. "Lady in the Water" is the writer/director/actor's latest attempt at greatness, and, next to "The Sixth Sense," it just may be his best.

The story revolves around a man by the name of Cleveland Heep, a maintenance man at a Philedelphia apartment complex filled with all sorts of eccentric characters. There's the single father with his son, a seemingly caffiene-addicted Asian and her overbearing mother, a movie critic who thinks he's a genius, and of course a ridiculous 20-something who insists on only working out one side of his body. While these characters may seem unnecessary in the beginning, they eventually all play a somewhat vital role in the story.

Heep, however, is a truly engaging character right from the start. A single, middle-aged, man with a terrible stutter, he is portrayed as a man who is respected by the people he serves, yet also rejected by them. In his small apartment, he spends his nights alone until one night he encounters a, as the title hints, lady in the water. Her name is "Story," and her character is very mysterious to Cleveland who can't seem to comprehend who she is and why she has suddenly appeared in his life.

As the story progresses, secrets are revealed and the people of the apartments come together to help Story, who is apparently a mythological creature who has lost her way from home. Paul Giamatti's performance is Oscar-worthy, and he does a phenominal job of portraying all of the different layers of his character.

Shyamalan branches out a bit this time around, as "Lady in the Water" tends to focus much more on fantasy and true storytelling than horror or thrills. However, it seems as if "Lady in the Water" is a film that doesn't quite know what it wants to be. There are times when you swear you were watching a thriller, and other times when the movie trys too hard (WAY too hard) to be a comedy. While some of these scenes are okay, at other times they are entirely distracting and unnecessary to the plot as a whole. This is really my only big complaint about the movie. It is a beautiful film, yes, but it can also be a bit deterring at times, and many Shyamalan fans might be turned off from this.

Overall, "Lady in the Water" is a fairly well put-together film about finding a place and a role in this crazy world. In that, the film does a fantastic job. Despite minor annoyances along the way, the sheer imagination of the story, and the lovable characters that fill it, make it a tough movie to not enjoy. This is one of the most creative movies I've ever seen, and I'd love to see it again.

Acting: 5 out of 5 Stars

Directing: 4 out of 5 Stars

Writing: 3 out of 5 Stars

Overall: 4 out of 5 Stars