New Shyamalan Thriller 'The Happening' Taps Into Contemporary Fears | Voice of America - English
Writer-director M. Night Shyamalan has a new film thriller that taps into contemporary fears. Mark Wahlberg and Zoey Deschanel co-star in this tense drama of a mysterious event that could lead to the end of human life.
Highschool science teacher Elliot Moore (played by Mark Wahlberg) believesin rational causes for every phenomenon; but those beliefs are tested...and shaken ...when something begins to drive almost everyone aroundhim to self-destructive acts. Is it some form of bioterrorism?Or could it be something in nature? Writer-director M. Night Shyamalanhas explored inexplicable mysteries in his previous films including and . Shyamalan says isdirectly connected to today's headlines. "I think everybody inour generation is starting to worry about these types of things rightnow: certainly in an election year, thinking about the future,"Shyamalan says. " It is interesting with all these 'end of the world'movies. There's an anxiety that's in the air and it mimics the onesfrom the 1950's with the same kind of anxieties about our future. Whereare we headed? Are we going in the right direction? Is it too late tochange course? "The movie is really about where we are now inthe world: the paranoia that we feel toward each other, to strangers,to other countries ...to everything," he explains. "There's the sensethat we don't trust anybody. Really, the struggle of the movie was (thequestion) 'is this an appropriate way to be?' ...the struggle ofwhether to question it or not." Wahlberg says his character is torn between his belief in science and his faith in a greater power. "Ithink Night (Shyamalan) cast me because of my strong faith. Somebodyasked me why Elliot survived and I think it's because he has so muchfaith and hope," he says. "It can be interpreted as aphilosophical message as much as a spiritual message and that faith canbe spiritual or also a philosophy," adds Zoey Deschanel, who plays apsychologist and the wife of Wahlberg's character. "I think themovie raises questions and any time you're raising questions you'reinspiring people to think about things," she says. "I think that'sreally good because I definitely came out of seeing the film feelinglike I wanted to question my own beliefs." The cast alsoincludes John Leguizamo. In a departure from his usual comic roles, heplays a math teacher who is also looking for some sense of order toexplain the chaos. "That's what I love about the screenplay,"Leguizamo says. "There was a message that is missing in so many bigHollywood flicks that don't have a point of view ...don't have somevisceral thing to say about the world and state of human beings and thehuman condition to make us feel something. I love that the movie had apoint of view and wasn't afraid of that." Without giving awaytoo much of the plot, raises the issue of environmentaldamage. In this story, the inconvenient truth may be fatal to humankindas nature rallies its forces against the polluters. Writer-directorShyamalan says it is possible to find a spiritual element in that themeas well. "It is interesting that in all of our religions howlittle is really said about how we should feel toward nature," he says." It's an interesting thing to get the hierarchy to where it is: we arejust one of many living creatures on the planet." Like all ofShyamalan's films, much of   takes place in EasternPennsylvania, near Philadelphia, where the Indian-born filmmaker wasraised and still makes his home.