By: Lana K. Wilson-Combs
M. Night Shyamalan (“Split” and “Glass”) trots out a few new tricks in his suspenseful new movie,
“Old” which he stars in as well as directed and co-wrote.
“Old” is an adaptation of Pierre Oscar Levy and Frederik Peeters, 2010 graphic novel “Sandcastle.” The movie is a real mind-bender and headscratcher, that will slowly lure you in and keep you guessing throughout.
In “Old,” Gael Garcia Bernal (TV’s “Here on Earth”) and Vicky Krieps (“Faithful”) play a married couple, Guy and Prisca. They have two precocious children named Trent (Nolan River, “Adverse”) and Maddix (Alexa Swinton, TV’s “Billions”).
The family has a few issues to iron out especially mom and dad. So, when Prisca (Krieps) finds a great online deal for a vacation at an incredible tropical resort, she books it hoping it will give the family a chance to regroup a bit. Prisca should have known that if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
When they arrive, the resort manager (Gustaf Hammarsten, TV’s “Thunder in My Heart”) seems genuinely welcoming and nice. He immediately takes a liking to the family and tells them about a quiet area that is off the beaten path. It’s one that he highly recommends to special guests that visit. So, he arranges a driver to take the family.
At first blush, the beach resort does look and feel like pure paradise. Then they soon discover it’s not as secluded as they hoped and that there are other “special guests” that got the “exclusive invitation” too. They include an eccentric doctor (Rufus Sewell, “Judy”) and his high maintenance wife Chrystal (Abbey Lee, “Lovecraft Country”), their daughter Kara (Kyle Bailey) and Charles’ mother Agnes (Kathleen Chalfant, TV’s “New Amsterdam”).
It gets even more crowded when nurse Jarin (Ken Leung, TV’s “Industry”) strolls in with his psychiatrist wife Patricia (Nikki Amuka-Bird, TV’s “Avenue 5”).
Much to the delight of Maddix, (Swinton), one of her favorite rappers, Mid-Size Sedan (Aaron Pierre, TV’s “The Underground Railroad”) is hanging out and trying to chill with his girlfriend.
It’s not that they all can’t get along, but rather the crazy and mysterious things that start to happen--notably a dead body washing ashore--that has them freaking out. The kids are also rapidly aging something like two years for every hour. The adults are becoming sick too and passing out each time they try to leave the beach area.
What’s happening and why?
M. Night Shyamalan doesn’t offer many clues. Instead, he ramps up the tension with some chilling twists and turns that will no doubt puzzle the hell out of you. However, it’s the satisfying ending of “Old” that will make you appreciate this talented filmmaker and have you talking about the movie long after the credits roll.
Editor's Note: Be sure to catch my N2Entertainment.net movie talk segment on the Kitty O'Neal Show Fridays at 6:20 p.m. on radio station KFBK 93.1 FM and 1530 AM.
Watch This Trailer For
"OLD"
Lana K. Wilson-Combs is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA), The Black Film Critics Circle (BFCC), The American Film Institute (AFI), and a Nominating Committee Voting Member for the NAACP Image Awards.
