The Village is M. Night Shyamalan's softly simmering masterpiece. This is an engrossing tale of an isolated agrarian society that prizes isolation above all else. The exclusion of the evil outside world is of paramount concern. However, unforseen circumstances and some youthful curiosity threaten to open cracks in the village's defenses that may jeopardize life as they know it. That life involves a the ominous presence of "Those We Don't Speak Of" in the surrounding woods, and locked boxes containing the past of the Elders of the village.

M. Night knows how to write a darn good script. This is a man who deals with ideas that you want to talk about after the film.

Bryce Dallas Howard, in her film debut, is appealing as Ivy Walker, the blind girl coming into womanhood and building a relationship with Lucius Hunt, played with finesse by Joaquin Phonenix. The rest of the cast, including, among others, Adrien Brody, William Hurt, and Sigourney Weaver do a fine job.

The cinematography by Roger Deakins is beautiful, and the musical score by James Newton Howard works to excellent effect. Like Shyamalan's other films, Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, this one has a surprising twist at the end. The great thing about his twists is that they are not there just to say "gotcha". They are essential to the resolution of the stories. The Village twist is the best one yet.