thriller film
Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...
written, directed, and produced by M. Night Shyamalan. It is based on the French-language Swiss graphic novel ''Sandcastle'' by Pierre Oscar Levy and
Frederik Peeters
Frédérik Peeters (; born 14 August 1974 in Geneva) is a contemporary Swiss graphic novelist.
Biography
Peeters received his bachelor of arts degree in visual communication from the École Supérieure d’Arts Appliqués in Geneva in 1995. Pee ...
Gael García Bernal
Gael García Bernal (; born 30 November 1978) is a Mexican actor and producer. He is best known for his performances in the films '' Bad Education'', '' The Motorcycle Diaries'', '' Amores perros'', ''Y tu mamá también'', ''Babel'', '' Coco'', ...
,
Vicky Krieps
Vicky Krieps (born 4 October 1983) is a Luxembourgish-German actress. She has appeared in a number of American, Luxembourgish, French and German productions. Krieps' breakthrough role was in Paul Thomas Anderson's Academy Award-winning film ''Pha ...
,
Rufus Sewell
Rufus Frederik Sewell (; born 29 October 1967) is a British film and stage actor. In film, he has appeared in '' Carrington'' (1995), '' ''Hamlet' (1996), ''Dangerous Beauty'' (1998), '' Dark City'' (1998), '' A Knight's Tale ''(2001), '' Th ...
,
Alex Wolff
Alexander Draper Wolff (born November 1, 1997) is an American actor and musician. He first gained recognition for starring alongside his older brother Nat in the Nickelodeon musical comedy series '' The Naked Brothers Band'' (2007–09), which ...
,
Thomasin McKenzie
Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie (born 26 July 2000) is a New Zealand actress. After a minor role in '' The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies'' (2014), she rose to critical prominence after playing a young girl living in isolation in Debra Granik's d ...
Nikki Amuka-Bird
Nikki Amuka-Bird (born 27 February 1976) is a Nigerian-born British actress of the stage, television, and film.
Early life
Amuka-Bird was born in Delta State, Nigeria, where her father still lives. She left there as a young child with her mo ...
,
Ken Leung
Kenneth Leung (; born January 21, 1970) is an American actor. His roles include Sang in '' Rush Hour'', Miles Straume in ''Lost'', Admiral Statura in '' Star Wars: The Force Awakens'', and Eric Tao in HBO's ''Industry''.
Early life
Leung was ...
,
Eliza Scanlen
Eliza Jane Scanlen (born 6 January 1999) is an Australian actress. She rose to prominence portraying Tabitha Ford in the Australian soap opera ''Home and Away'' (2016), before receiving critical acclaim by playing a troubled teenager in the H ...
Emun Elliott
Emun Elliott is a Scottish actor, known for portraying Dr. Christian King in ''Paradox'', Richie in ''Threesome'', John Moray in '' The Paradise'', and Kenny in '' Guilt''.
Background
Elliott was born in Edinburgh, Scotland as Emun John Moham ...
. The plot follows a group of people who find themselves aging rapidly on a secluded beach.
Shyamalan decided to adapt ''Sandcastle'' into a film after receiving it as a
Father's Day
Father's Day is a holiday of honoring fatherhood and paternal bonds, as well as the influence of fathers in society. In Catholic countries of Europe, it has been celebrated on 19 March as Saint Joseph's Day since the Middle Ages. In the Unite ...
gift in 2017. The then-untitled project was announced in September 2019, with the filmmaker revealing a partnership with
Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...
. The following year, filming took place in the Dominican Republic for three months, during the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, with cinematographer
Michael Gioulakis
Michael Gioulakis (born September 17, 1982) is an American cinematographer, best known for his work with directors David Robert Mitchell, M. Night Shyamalan, and Jordan Peele.
Early life
Gioulakis was born in Plantation, Florida, and grew up o ...
. ''Old'' premiered at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on July 19, 2021, and was theatrically released in the United States on July 23. The film was a box office success, grossing $90 million worldwide against an $18 million budget while receiving polarized reviews from critics.
Plot
Guy and Prisca Cappa are going through a divorce. To avoid saddening their young children Maddox and Trent, the couple take them to a tropical resort as a final family vacation. At their hotel, Guy and Prisca are given complimentary drinks and the children befriend the resort manager's nephew, Idlib. At night, Maddox and Trent overhear their parents arguing and play a message decoding game with Idlib.
The next morning, the manager invites the family to a secluded beach where three additional parties are present: rapper "Mid-Sized Sedan", and a female companion; surgeon Charles, his elder mother Agnes, his wife Chrystal, and their young daughter Kara; and Jarin and Patricia Carmichael, a close-knit husband and wife. Trent discovers the corpse of Mid-Sized Sedan's companion. Charles grows suspicious of Mid-Sized Sedan, who reveals that he has been experiencing nosebleeds because of his hemophilia. After the children rapidly turn into teenagers and Agnes suddenly dies, the families conclude that the beach is rapidly
aging
Ageing ( BE) or aging ( AE) is the process of becoming older. The term refers mainly to humans, many other animals, and fungi, whereas for example, bacteria, perennial plants and some simple animals are potentially biologically immortal. In ...
them, with the occupants undergoing the equivalent of one year of aging every 30 minutes. At least one member of each family has an underlying medical condition. They discover that trying to leave will result in them blacking out and waking up back to where they left.
In a fit of rage, Charles cuts Mid-Sized Sedan with a pocket knife and the group watches as his injury quickly heals. After Prisca develops a stomach tumor, Charles performs a successful surgery to remove it. Mid-Sized Sedan discovers that the body of his companion has fully decomposed in a matter of hours. Kara and Trent continue to age and after having sex with each other, Kara gets pregnant. She manages to give birth, but the baby dies due to the time rapidly passing. Trent and Maddox discover the notebook of a previous traveler, along with indications of them being watched. The attempts to leave grow tenser when Charles's worsening
schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social withdra ...
causes him to kill Mid-Sized Sedan. Jarin drowns, Kara falls to her death, Patricia suffers a fatal
epileptic seizure
An epileptic seizure, informally known as a seizure, is a period of symptoms due to abnormally excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain. Outward effects vary from uncontrolled shaking movements involving much of the body with los ...
, and Chrystal's
hypocalcemia
Hypocalcemia is a medical condition characterized by low calcium levels in the blood serum. The normal range of blood calcium is typically between 2.1–2.6 mmol/L (8.8–10.7 mg/dL, 4.3–5.2 mEq/L) while levels less than 2.1 mm ...
results in her bones rupturing, killing her. At night, Charles attacks Guy in a schizophrenic episode, but Prisca slashes him with a rusted knife, instigating a fatal blood infection that kills Charles. An elderly Guy and Prisca make amends before dying moments apart from each other.
With only the now-middle-aged Maddox and Trent remaining by the next morning, the pair construct a sandcastle. They revisit a secret message given to them by Idlib, which Trent deduces is connected to an underwater coral passage. Believing that the passage will allow them to leave the beach without losing consciousness, he and his sister start swimming through the coral. After they seemingly fail to emerge from the water, a resort employee monitoring them reports that the entire group has died. He gives the news to the manager, who mentions a previous incident where a guest had almost escaped from the beach before announcing that trial 73 has concluded.
It is revealed that the resort is a front for a research team from the pharmaceutical company Warren & Warren which was conducting
clinical trial
Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel vaccines, drugs, diet ...
s of new medical drugs, which are administered to guests with medical conditions by spiking their drinks. Since the beach naturally accelerates the lives of the guests, the researchers have been able to complete the lifelong drug trials within a day. The researchers lure a new group to the beach, but are interrupted by Trent and Maddox, who survived their underwater swim, using the notebook as evidence which they gave to vacationing police officer Greg Mitchel, who informs his boss of the researchers' crimes. The researchers are mentioned to have been arrested with subpoenas sent to the rest of Warren & Warren as Mitchel plans to reunite Trent and Maddox with their aunt.
Cast
*
Gael García Bernal
Gael García Bernal (; born 30 November 1978) is a Mexican actor and producer. He is best known for his performances in the films '' Bad Education'', '' The Motorcycle Diaries'', '' Amores perros'', ''Y tu mamá también'', ''Babel'', '' Coco'', ...
as Guy Cappa, an actuary married to Prisca.
*
Vicky Krieps
Vicky Krieps (born 4 October 1983) is a Luxembourgish-German actress. She has appeared in a number of American, Luxembourgish, French and German productions. Krieps' breakthrough role was in Paul Thomas Anderson's Academy Award-winning film ''Pha ...
as Prisca Cappa, a museum curator with a stomach tumor married to Guy.
*
Rufus Sewell
Rufus Frederik Sewell (; born 29 October 1967) is a British film and stage actor. In film, he has appeared in '' Carrington'' (1995), '' ''Hamlet' (1996), ''Dangerous Beauty'' (1998), '' Dark City'' (1998), '' A Knight's Tale ''(2001), '' Th ...
as Charles, a
schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social withdra ...
-battling surgeon married to Chrystal.
*
Alex Wolff
Alexander Draper Wolff (born November 1, 1997) is an American actor and musician. He first gained recognition for starring alongside his older brother Nat in the Nickelodeon musical comedy series '' The Naked Brothers Band'' (2007–09), which ...
as Trent Cappa, Guy and Prisca's son.
**
Emun Elliott
Emun Elliott is a Scottish actor, known for portraying Dr. Christian King in ''Paradox'', Richie in ''Threesome'', John Moray in '' The Paradise'', and Kenny in '' Guilt''.
Background
Elliott was born in Edinburgh, Scotland as Emun John Moham ...
as adult Trent Cappa
** Luca Faustino Rodriguez as Trent Cappa (11 Year)
** Nolan River as Trent Cappa (6 Year)
*
Thomasin McKenzie
Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie (born 26 July 2000) is a New Zealand actress. After a minor role in '' The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies'' (2014), she rose to critical prominence after playing a young girl living in isolation in Debra Granik's d ...
as Maddox Cappa, Guy and Prisca's daughter.
** Embeth Davidtz as adult Maddox Cappa
**
Alexa Swinton
Alexa Skye Swinton is an American actress, singer and songwriter. She appeared in a lead role as Piper in the 13-episode ABC prime time series called '' Emergence'', has a recurring role as Eva Rhoades in '' Billions'', and the HBO series '' An ...
as Maddox Cappa (11 Year)
* Abbey Lee as Chrystal, Charles's wife who has
hypocalcemia
Hypocalcemia is a medical condition characterized by low calcium levels in the blood serum. The normal range of blood calcium is typically between 2.1–2.6 mmol/L (8.8–10.7 mg/dL, 4.3–5.2 mEq/L) while levels less than 2.1 mm ...
.
*
Nikki Amuka-Bird
Nikki Amuka-Bird (born 27 February 1976) is a Nigerian-born British actress of the stage, television, and film.
Early life
Amuka-Bird was born in Delta State, Nigeria, where her father still lives. She left there as a young child with her mo ...
as Patricia Carmichael, an
epileptic
Epilepsy is a group of non-communicable neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures can vary from brief and nearly undetectable periods to long periods of vigorous shaking due to abnormal electrical ...
psychologist married to Jarin.
*
Ken Leung
Kenneth Leung (; born January 21, 1970) is an American actor. His roles include Sang in '' Rush Hour'', Miles Straume in ''Lost'', Admiral Statura in '' Star Wars: The Force Awakens'', and Eric Tao in HBO's ''Industry''.
Early life
Leung was ...
as Jarin Carmichael, a nurse and Patricia's husband.
*
Eliza Scanlen
Eliza Jane Scanlen (born 6 January 1999) is an Australian actress. She rose to prominence portraying Tabitha Ford in the Australian soap opera ''Home and Away'' (2016), before receiving critical acclaim by playing a troubled teenager in the H ...
as Kara, Charles and Chrystal's daughter.
** Mikaya Fisher as Kara (11 Year)
** Kylie Begley as Kara (6 Year)
* Aaron Pierre as Mid-Sized Sedan / Brendan, a rapper afflicted with hemophilia.
Additional cast members include
Kathleen Chalfant
Kathleen Ann Chalfant (née Bishop; born January 14, 1945) is an American actress. She has appeared in many stage plays, both on Broadway and Off-Broadway, as well as making guest appearances on television series, including the '' Law & Order'' ...
as Agnes, Charles' mother,
Gustaf Hammarsten
Carl Gustaf Hammarsten (born 2 September 1967) is a Swedish film, television and theatre actor. He is internationally known for his role in ''Brüno'' (2009) as the title character's sidekick and gay lover.
Career Film
He has appeared in more t ...
as the resort manager who heads the secret research team for the pharmaceutical company Warren & Warren,
Francesca Eastwood
Francesca Ruth Fisher-Eastwood (born August 7, 1993) is an American television personality, socialite and actress. She starred with her family in '' Mrs. Eastwood & Company'', a reality series broadcast on E!. She is also known for her appearan ...
and Matthew Shear as resort employees Madrid and Sidney, Kailen Jude as the manager's nephew Idlib, Daniel Ison as vacationing police officer Greg Mitchel, and M. Night Shyamalan as the resort employee who drives the guests to the beach and monitors them.
Themes
When ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' Beth Webb asked about the different themes tackled in ''Old'', Shyamalan responded, "It's definitely about our relationship to time and, in my opinion, our dysfunctional relationship to time that we all have. Until we're forced to examine it, whether it's a pandemic or the factors that are on this situation for these characters, that they're trapped on this beach and they have to reflect on their relationship to time. You see some characters unable to navigate this and then some characters find peace. Why did they find peace and how did they find peace in the midst of all of this chaos? So there's this conversation about that, the one that I'm having of myself with time."
At the
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. Tribeca was f ...
, Shyamalan said that the film's focus on aging reminded him of his father, who has
dementia
Dementia is a disorder which manifests as a set of related symptoms, which usually surfaces when the brain is damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, which negatively affe ...
, and his children as he watches them grow up. During the event,
Alex Wolff
Alexander Draper Wolff (born November 1, 1997) is an American actor and musician. He first gained recognition for starring alongside his older brother Nat in the Nickelodeon musical comedy series '' The Naked Brothers Band'' (2007–09), which ...
compared the film to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, "Coming out of COVID it feels like time just stopped. And that's what the movie's literally about." At the film's premiere, Wolff was asked for his interpretation of the film and said it was "an allegorical existential sort of meditation on getting older." Other cast members chimed in;
Nikki Amuka-Bird
Nikki Amuka-Bird (born 27 February 1976) is a Nigerian-born British actress of the stage, television, and film.
Early life
Amuka-Bird was born in Delta State, Nigeria, where her father still lives. She left there as a young child with her mo ...
said the film was about not taking nature for granted,
Gael García Bernal
Gael García Bernal (; born 30 November 1978) is a Mexican actor and producer. He is best known for his performances in the films '' Bad Education'', '' The Motorcycle Diaries'', '' Amores perros'', ''Y tu mamá también'', ''Babel'', '' Coco'', ...
said it was about questioning how time travels differently for other people, and
Vicky Krieps
Vicky Krieps (born 4 October 1983) is a Luxembourgish-German actress. She has appeared in a number of American, Luxembourgish, French and German productions. Krieps' breakthrough role was in Paul Thomas Anderson's Academy Award-winning film ''Pha ...
found that it was about "love and family and all these things that are much stronger than any fears — the fear of aging and the fear of death."
Production
Development, pre-production and casting
In September 2019,
Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...
announced its plans to distribute two then-untitled independently-financed thriller films written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. In a statement, Universal Pictures President Peter Cramer said that these projects contained "highly original stories," while Shymalan added, "There are wonderful studios out there, but Universal has made it a mandate to release original films. They are the best at finding an audience for new stories with unexpected tones. I believe original films are crucial to the longevity of the theatrical experience."
In May 2020,
Eliza Scanlen
Eliza Jane Scanlen (born 6 January 1999) is an Australian actress. She rose to prominence portraying Tabitha Ford in the Australian soap opera ''Home and Away'' (2016), before receiving critical acclaim by playing a troubled teenager in the H ...
,
Thomasin McKenzie
Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie (born 26 July 2000) is a New Zealand actress. After a minor role in '' The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies'' (2014), she rose to critical prominence after playing a young girl living in isolation in Debra Granik's d ...
, Aaron Pierre, Alex Wolff, and Vicky Krieps entered negotiations to star. That June, they all joined the cast alongside Abbey Lee, Nikki Amuka-Bird, and
Ken Leung
Kenneth Leung (; born January 21, 1970) is an American actor. His roles include Sang in '' Rush Hour'', Miles Straume in ''Lost'', Admiral Statura in '' Star Wars: The Force Awakens'', and Eric Tao in HBO's ''Industry''.
Early life
Leung was ...
. In July, it was reported that Shyamalan, Marc Bienstock, and Ashwin Rajan would produce the project through
Perfect World Pictures
Perfect World Pictures (PWPIC) is a Chinese and American entertainment company. Founded in 2008, it engages in the production, distribution and marketing of film and television content, content related advertising, merchandising business, talent m ...
and
Blinding Edge Pictures
Blinding Edge Pictures is an American film production company, founded on August 2, 1998 by M. Night Shyamalan, which is known for producing films written and directed by Shyamalan like '' Unbreakable'', '' Signs'', '' The Village'', '' The Happen ...
, with Gael García Bernal also being cast. In August,
Rufus Sewell
Rufus Frederik Sewell (; born 29 October 1967) is a British film and stage actor. In film, he has appeared in '' Carrington'' (1995), '' ''Hamlet' (1996), ''Dangerous Beauty'' (1998), '' Dark City'' (1998), '' A Knight's Tale ''(2001), '' Th ...
Emun Elliott
Emun Elliott is a Scottish actor, known for portraying Dr. Christian King in ''Paradox'', Richie in ''Threesome'', John Moray in '' The Paradise'', and Kenny in '' Guilt''.
Background
Elliott was born in Edinburgh, Scotland as Emun John Moham ...
were all announced as part of the ensemble cast. That same month,
Bryan Cranston
Bryan Lee Cranston (born March 7, 1956) is an American actor and director who is best known for portraying Walter White in the AMC crime drama series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2013) and Hal in the Fox sitcom ''Malcolm in the Middle'' (2000–20 ...
said he had declined a role in the film due to a scheduling conflict caused by his involvement with filming '' Your Honor'' in New Orleans.
Filming and post-production
On September 26, 2020,
principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as a ...
began in the Dominican Republic and to celebrate, Shyamalan revealed the film's title and published its first promotional release poster. That same day, ''
Collider
A collider is a type of particle accelerator which brings two opposing particle beams together such that the particles collide. Colliders may either be ring accelerators or linear accelerators.
Colliders are used as a research tool in particl ...
'' reported that the film was an adaptation of ''Sandcastle'', the French graphic novel by Swiss authors Pierre Oscar Levy and
Frederik Peeters
Frédérik Peeters (; born 14 August 1974 in Geneva) is a contemporary Swiss graphic novelist.
Biography
Peeters received his bachelor of arts degree in visual communication from the École Supérieure d’Arts Appliqués in Geneva in 1995. Pee ...
, which Shyamalan had received as a collective
Father's Day
Father's Day is a holiday of honoring fatherhood and paternal bonds, as well as the influence of fathers in society. In Catholic countries of Europe, it has been celebrated on 19 March as Saint Joseph's Day since the Middle Ages. In the Unite ...
gift from his three daughters in 2017. ''Old'' marks the first film of Shyamalan's career to have no shooting take place around his hometown of
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
. With an $18 million budget, filming took place during the COVID-19 pandemic with cinematographer
Michael Gioulakis
Michael Gioulakis (born September 17, 1982) is an American cinematographer, best known for his work with directors David Robert Mitchell, M. Night Shyamalan, and Jordan Peele.
Early life
Gioulakis was born in Plantation, Florida, and grew up o ...
, using
35mm film 35 mm may refer to:
* 135 film, a type of still photography format commonly referred to as 35 mm film
* 35 mm movie film, a type of motion picture film stock
* 35MM 35 mm may refer to:
* 135 film, a type of still photography format ...
, and concluded on November 15, 2020. After filming wrapped, Shyamalan said ''Old'' was the first film to be shot during the pandemic in the Dominican Republic and that throughout the shoot, no one tested positive for the virus as he paid for the production crew's ten-week stay at a hotel.
''Old'' was inspired by films created during the
Australian New Wave
The Australian New Wave (also known as the Australian Film Revival, Australian Film Renaissance, or New Australian Cinema) was an era of resurgence in worldwide popularity of Australian cinema, particularly in the United States. It began in the ea ...
, including ''
Walkabout
Walkabout is a rite of passage in Australian Aboriginal society, during which males undergo a journey during adolescence, typically ages 10 to 16, and live in the wilderness for a period as long as six months to make the spiritual and traditiona ...
The Exterminating Angel
''The Exterminating Angel'' ( es, El ángel exterminador, links=no) is a 1962 Mexican surrealist film written and directed by Luis Buñuel, starring Silvia Pinal, and produced by Pinal's then-husband Gustavo Alatriste. It tells the story of a g ...
'' (1962), ''
Kuroneko
Galbraith IV, Stuart (1994). ''Japanese Fantasy, Science Fiction and Horror Films''. McFarland & Company. is a 1968 Japanese horror film directed by Kaneto Shindo, and an adaptation of a supernatural folktale. Set during a civil war in feudal J ...
'' (1968), ''
Jaws
Jaws or Jaw may refer to:
Anatomy
* Jaw, an opposable articulated structure at the entrance of the mouth
** Mandible, the lower jaw
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Jaws (James Bond), a character in ''The Spy Who Loved Me'' and ''Moonraker''
* ...
'' (1975), and ''
The Twilight Zone
''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...
''. To create a claustrophobic feeling, Shyamalan employed several filming techniques from
Akira Kurosawa
was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dyna ...
's ''
Rashomon
is a 1950 Jidaigeki psychological thriller/crime film directed and written by Akira Kurosawa, working in close collaboration with cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa. Starring Toshiro Mifune, Machiko Kyō, Masayuki Mori, and Takashi Shimura ...
'' (1950) and ''
Ran
Ran, RaN and ran may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Ran'' (film), a 1985 film directed by Akira Kurosawa
* "Ran" (song), a 2013 Japanese song by Luna Sea
* '' Ran Online'', a 2004 MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role playing game)
* ...
'' (1985). As a result, ''Old'' was mostly filmed in a single location, the Playa El Valle beach located between two mountains on the north coast of Santa Bárbara de Samaná. Additional filming took place at Pinewood Dominican Republic Studios in
Juan Dolio
Juan Dolio is a small seaside community and tourist destination in the province of San Pedro de Macorís Province, San Pedro de Macoris on the southern coast of the Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola. Juan Dolio has 2,488 inhabitants ( ...
and in several locations around Samaná. To capture footage of the surrounding nature, Shyamalan's daughter, Ishana, served as the film's
second unit director
Second unit is a discrete team of filmmakers tasked with filming shots or sequences of a production, separate from the main or "first" unit. The second unit will often shoot simultaneously with the other unit or units, allowing the filming stag ...
. His other daughter, Saleka Shyamalan, wrote an original song for the film titled "Remain" that was inspired by the topic of marriage vows and U2's "
With or Without You
"With or Without You" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the third track on their fifth studio album, '' The Joshua Tree'' (1987), and was released as the album's lead single on 16 March 1987. The song was the group's most successful sing ...
," used to "highlight the relationship between Guy and Prisca and the love that exists between them."
Several cast members recalled Shyamalan using storyboards to frame every shot in the film. Ishana Shyamalan described her father's choice as a "very prescribed and programmatic" approach, while Wolff said the director "had such precision in terms of what age he wanted you to be and where he wanted you to be at that age. Night would just guide you where you needed to be emotionally, and then it would happen naturally." In an interview with ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'', Wolff said he and McKenzie were the first actors to be cast after submitting audition tapes, and recalled passing out during the filming of the pregnancy scene due to high temperatures. During post-production, editing was completed by Brett M. Reed. The film's score was composed by Trevor Gureckis and released by Back Lot Music on July 23, 2021.
Release
''Old'' was originally going to be released by Universal Pictures on February 26, 2021, but in April 2020, the film was removed from the studio's release schedule after its film ''
Nobody
Nobody may refer to:
* Nobody, an indefinite pronoun
Nobody may also refer to:
Fictional characters
* Nobody (''Kingdom Hearts''), a race of beings in the ''Kingdom Hearts'' video game series
*Nobody, a character in the Jim Jarmusch films '' D ...
'' was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2020, Universal Pictures announced that ''Old'' would be theatrically released on July 23, 2021. A premiere for the film was held at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on July 19, 2021, which was attended by its cast and crew.
On February 7, 2021, during Super Bowl LV, Universal Pictures aired a 30-second
television spot
A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...
for ''Old''. Anthony D'Alessandro from ''
Deadline Hollywood
''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. The site is updated several times a day, with ...
'' said the teaser reminded him of a two-part episode of ''
The Brady Bunch
''The Brady Bunch'' is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz that aired from September 26, 1969, to March 8, 1974, on ABC. The series revolves around a large blended family with six children. The show aired for five seasons and, afte ...
'', where an ancient
tiki
In Māori mythology, Tiki is the first man created by either Tūmatauenga or Tāne. He found the first woman, Marikoriko, in a pond; she seduced him and he became the father of Hine-kau-ataata. By extension, a tiki is a large or small wooden, ...
brings the group bad luck and causes Greg ( Barry Williams) to suffer a surfing accident. Writing for ''
Syfy Wire
Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...
'', Josh Weiss said the teaser "definitely bears Shyamalan's signature slow-boil tension." On May 27, 2021, a theatrical release poster and an official trailer were released, which ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' Antonio Ferme said brought "thrills and chills," and Weiss described as "a reverse '' Benjamin Button'' situation that the characters need to reverse before they shrivel up and die." That July, an exclusive image of the film was released in a magazine issue of ''
Empire
An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
''.
Summarizing the film's marketing results, RelishMix wrote that it was being compared to ''
A Quiet Place Part II
''A Quiet Place Part II'' is a 2020 American post-apocalyptic horror film written and directed by John Krasinski. It is the sequel to the 2018 film '' A Quiet Place'', following the family from the first film as they continue to navigate and su ...
Split
Split(s) or The Split may refer to:
Places
* Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia
* Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay
* Split Island, Falkland Islands
* Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua
Arts, entertai ...
'' and ''
Glass
Glass is a non-crystalline, often transparent, amorphous solid that has widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in, for example, window panes, tableware, and optics. Glass is most often formed by rapid cooling (quenching) of ...
'', and
Edgar Wright
Edgar Howard Wright (born 18 April 1974) is an English filmmaker. He is known for his fast-paced and kinetic, satirical genre films, which feature extensive utilisation of expressive popular music, Steadicam tracking shots, dolly zooms and a ...
's ''
Last Night in Soho
''Last Night in Soho'' is a 2021 British psychological horror film directed by Edgar Wright and co-written by Wright and Krysty Wilson-Cairns. It stars Thomasin McKenzie, Anya Taylor-Joy, Matt Smith, Rita Tushingham, Michael Ajao, Terence Stam ...
'', as well as
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
's ''
Lost
Lost may refer to getting lost, or to:
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* Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US
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*Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...
''. The site added that there were "Conversational tones swings from excitement, fear, curiosity, caution, warnings to the characters in the film — to questions about the pregnant girl and numerous guesses about how the films ends and plot twists." By July 2021, the film's promotional content had been viewed a total of 113.2 million times, which included 41.2 million views from three
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
videos and 30.3 million views from nineteen videos on
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
. According to Universal Pictures, the Super Bowl teaser was viewed at least 100 million times, but overall, videos promoting the film " ellshort of the norm along with daily click-rates." A Snapchat aging filter created for the film also gained 23 million views worldwide on its first day after it was used by celebrities such as
Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the greates ...
,
Kenny Smith
Kenneth Smith (born March 8, 1965), nicknamed "the Jet", is an American sports commentator and former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played in the NBA from 1987 to 1997 as a member of the Sacrame ...
, and
Charles Barkley
Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player who is a television analyst on NBA on TNT, TNT. Nicknamed "Sir Charles", "Chuck", and "the Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley played 16 seasons ...
.
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (formerly Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Universal Studios Home Video, MCA/Universal Home Video, MCA Home Video, MCA Videodisc and MCA Videocassette, Inc.) is the home video distribution division of Am ...
released ''Old'' on Digital HD via
digital distribution
Digital distribution, also referred to as content delivery, online distribution, or electronic software distribution, among others, is the delivery or distribution of digital media content such as audio, video, e-books, video games, and other s ...
on October 5, 2021, with a physical release on
Ultra HD Blu-ray
Ultra HD Blu-ray (4K Ultra HD, UHD-BD, or 4K Blu-ray) is a digital optical disc data storage format that is an enhanced variant of Blu-ray. Ultra HD Blu-ray discs are incompatible with existing standard Blu-ray players, though a traditional Bl ...
,
Blu-ray
The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...
, and
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
on October 19. Special features include deleted scenes; "Shyamalan Family Business," a look into how Ishana and Saleka Shyamalan contributed to the film; "All the Beach Is a Stage" and "Nightmares in Paradise," a detailing of how filming took place; and "A Family in the Moment," featuring cast members describing a specific night of filming.
Reception
Box office
''Old'' grossed $48.3 million in the United States and Canada, and $41.9 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $90.2 million.
A week before its release, ''Variety'' and ''Deadline Hollywood'' reported that film analytics had predicted the film would make $12–15 million in its opening weekend, with some noting that its competition, which had the same target audience, could impact box office revenues. Released alongside '' Snake Eyes'' and '' Joe Bell'' on July 23, 2021, in 3,355 theaters, ''Old'' made $6.9 million on its first day, including $1.5 million from Thursday night previews. With audiences that were 52% female and 62% at or over the age of 25, it went on to debut to $16.85 million, making it the sixth film of Shyamalan's to top the box office, though it marked the lowest opening weekend of his career.
Describing the openings of ''Old'' and ''Snake Eyes'' as "weak,"
Michael Cieply
Michael Cieply (born 1951) is an entertainment industry writer, first for ''The Wall Street Journal'' and then for ''Talk'' magazine and as a media correspondent for ''The New York Times''. Here he covers Hollywood for the media desk. He joined ...
wrote an analysis to explain the audience decline at the box office, streaming sites, and television by using Occam's razor, "Maybe, as a group, we are suffering from 'screen fatigue' — not in the narrow sense of migraines, eye strain, and
Computer Vision Syndrome
Computer vision syndrome (CVS) is a condition resulting from focusing the eyes on a computer or other display device for protracted, uninterrupted periods of time and the eye's muscles being unable to recover from the constant tension required to ...
, but in a much bigger way, as a culture. We are tired of
Zoom
Zoom may refer to:
Technology Computing
* Zoom (software), videoconferencing application
* Page zooming, the ability to magnify or shrink a portion of a page on a computer display
* Zooming user interface, a graphical interface allowing for image ...
calls. We are tired of event television. We are really tired of looking at ourselves on media screens, large and small." In its second weekend, the film suffered a 60% decline and grossed $6.86 million. After making $4.1 million in its third, ''Old'' dropped out of the box office top five in its fourth weekend with $2.4 million. In its fifth and sixth weekends, the film fell to the bottom of the box office top ten, making $1.15 million and $840,810, respectively.
Worldwide, ''Old'' made $6.5 million in its opening weekend in 23 markets; the top countries were Russia ($2.1 million), the United Kingdom ($1.1 million), Mexico ($800,000), Italy ($600,000), and France ($500,000). In its second, the film had a 35% drop and grossed $7.5 million, including a $1.2 million opening in Spain. After making $4.4 million in its third weekend, it made $2 million in its fifth and held a Korean opening in a mere 453 theaters, a decision by the Korea Theater Association to release local titles instead. In its sixth weekend, ''Old'' was screened in 57 markets and made $1.64 million. It made $277,000 in its ninth weekend and $169,000 in its tenth across 60 foreign markets.
Critical response
Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C+" on an A+ to F scale, while
PostTrak
PostTrak is a U.S.-based service that surveys film audiences for film studios.
History
The service conducts surveys in the top 20 markets in the U.S. and Canada with the use of polling cards and electronic kiosks. A PostTrak report for a film ...
reported 61% of audience members gave it a positive score, with 37% saying they would definitely recommend it.
''Old'' received criticism for its screenplay, dialogue, and acting. Wendy Ide of ''
The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...
'' said the film's exposition felt "ponderous and mannered" and asked: "If we can't believe the characters, how are we meant to accept the film's central premise?"
WXIX-TV
WXIX-TV (channel 19) is a television station licensed to Newport, Kentucky, United States, serving the Cincinnati metro as the market's Fox affiliate. It is owned by Gray Television alongside low-power Cozi TV affiliate WBQC-LD (channel 25 ...
Terrence "TT" Todd gave a similar response and said that while the premise was interesting, the plot was confusing and could have been explained better as its own television series. From '' Vox'', Alissa Wilkinson wrote that "Shyamalan has not grown any more skilled at writing dialogue over the years," but found that at its best, the film was comparable to
Luis Buñuel
Luis Buñuel Portolés (; 22 February 1900 – 29 July 1983) was a Spanish-Mexican filmmaker who worked in France, Mexico, and Spain. He has been widely considered by many film critics, historians, and directors to be one of the greatest and ...
's ''
The Exterminating Angel
''The Exterminating Angel'' ( es, El ángel exterminador, links=no) is a 1962 Mexican surrealist film written and directed by Luis Buñuel, starring Silvia Pinal, and produced by Pinal's then-husband Gustavo Alatriste. It tells the story of a g ...
''. Barry Hertz of ''
The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
'' said that the film had "stilted dialogue that runs in circles, dumb-dumb plot holes, nda bizarre determination to have his performers act as unnaturally as possible." However, some critics enjoyed the gallows humor in the movie. Germain Lussier of '' Gizmodo'' said the movie was made with sadistic glee and surprising emotion. Nick Allen of ''The Playlist'' called it a pitch-black comedy and self-aware horror. Scott Mendelson of ''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...
'' said it would have benefited from an R rating and described it as a "relentless and mean little chiller".
The film's cinematography and premise received praise. While criticizing the film in general, Jocelyn Novec from the
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
said it had "an enticing premise and pretty scenery." In his ''Deadline Hollywood'' review, Pete Hammond wrote, "I don't expect this one to age very well, and some of it is just laughably bad. At the very least, as a summertime theatrical release, the stunning location should give audiences a nice respite from the heat." Critic
Richard Roeper
Richard E. Roeper (born October 17, 1959) is an American columnist and film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times''. He co-hosted the television series '' At the Movies'' with Roger Ebert from 2000 to 2008, serving as the late Gene Siskel's success ...
described the film's main location as "absolutely breathtaking," and ''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
''
Richard Brody
Richard Brody (born 1958) is an American film critic who has written for ''The New Yorker'' since 1999.
Education
Brody grew up in Roslyn, New York, and attended Princeton University, receiving a B.A. in comparative literature in 1980. He firs ...
wrote that "with spare methods and sharp images, the director turns a simple premise into potent fantasy."
The film's themes and
twist ending
Twist may refer to:
In arts and entertainment Film, television, and stage
* ''Twist'' (2003 film), a 2003 independent film loosely based on Charles Dickens's novel ''Oliver Twist''
* ''Twist'' (2021 film), a 2021 modern rendition of ''Olive ...
received a polarized response. ''Sandcastle'', the novel the film is based on, ends without explaining why the beach ages its guests, and Wilkinson found that ending to be "more satisfying." From
ABC News
ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...
,
Peter Travers
Peter Joseph Travers (born ) is an American film critic, journalist, and television presenter. He reviews films for ABC News and previously served as a movie critic for ''People'' and ''Rolling Stone''. Travers also hosts the film interview prog ...
said he was "shocked" to find "how clumsily hyamalanhandles potent themes about sudden death and the collapse of time that should resonate powerfully in the COVID-19 era. Even his argument for family values in the face of global youth worship feels rote." Writing for ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'',
Glenn Kenny
Glenn Kenny (born August 8, 1959) is an American film critic and journalist. He writes for ''The New York Times'' and '' RogerEbert.com''.
Biography
Kenny attended William Paterson University, where he majored in English literature.ndthe way he switches out his actors as their characters age is seamless," but found that "while Shyamalan is often cited for his tricky endings, it's arguable that he doesn't quite stick the landing with this one."