The Sixth Sense

The Sixth Sense was not M. Night Shyamalan’s first film but for most people it might as well have been. He’d actually directed two films prior, neither of which are well known anymore. It wasn’t until The Sixth Sense in 1999 that his movies would become synonymous with twist endings and supernatural concepts. All of that started here and it can be argued that all of that peaked right here, too. For about three years he rode high on the good vibes from this film, releasing Unbreakable the following years and Signs in 2002. Then it started to unravel and his films began to become parodies of his formula rather than legitimately good films anymore. He’s had a few well made films since but nothing compared to that brief window when it seemed like he was on top of the world. 

Back in 1999 it seemed like everyone saw The Sixth Sense, and those who didn’t knew the twist ending and the image of leading actor Haley Joel Osment under the covers looking to the side and saying with a tremor, “I see dead people.” That quote became permanently linked to this film, became a popular meme, and even got a nod from Billy Crystal at the Oscars when he inserted himself into a clip from Charlie Chaplin’s The Gold Rush, looked at Chaplin and co-star Mack Swain, and said, through interstitial titles: “I see dead people.” That line was a pop culture phenomenon that has survived for twenty-five years and is still recognizable amongst the youth of today who may have grown up seeing the film or may just be aware of that moment and the context of it.  It also gave way to countless knock-offs and parodies including shirts and bumper stickers with knock-off slogans like “I see dumb people.” It’s rare for a film to have such a pop-cultural impact like this. But a film is more than just its most quoted line so I revisited it this morning to not only relive what it actually is about as well as to see if the twist still works after decades of being in the cultural zeitgeist.

The film opens in Philadelphia with child psychologist Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) at home with his wife Anna (Olivia Williams). A former patient of his, Vincent Grey (Donnie Wahlberg), breaks into their  home, accuses Malcolm of failing him, then shoots him and then himself. Months later, Malcolm has taken on a new patient, Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment), a nine year old boy whose situation reminds Malcolm of Vincent. He feels that by helping Cole it will help him come to terms with his earlier failure as well as rectifying his marriage which has been emotionally and physically distant since the shooting. 

But what Cole is suffering from is something Malcolm has never dealt with before nor does he believe in it. Cole is seeing the ghosts of people who have died and these visions are terrifying him and causing him injuries that his mother (Toni Collette) is being suspected of causing. Through the course of Malcolm’s sessions with Cole he will learn things that will eventually convince him that these visions are not a symptom of schizophrenia but are real, just like what Vincent was going through. Through Malcolm’s guidance Cole will learn how to handle these visions as well as why these ghosts are visiting him. He will also learn something about himself that will rock him to the core. 

M. Night likes to use symbolism when crafting his movies. In this case he has chosen to desaturate the film and then introducing bright red whenever ghosts are nearby. This comes in the form of everything from a balloon to a jeweled doorknob. This use of color gives away the twist at the end for anyone paying attention. There are other clues that give away the finale, too. Malcolm is never seen holding a conversation with anyone other than Cole. When he tries to talk to his wife she acts like he isn’t there. He is only ever wearing the exact same outfit he was wearing in the opening scene. All of this is cleverly hidden through some editing trickery but a keen observer can easily pick this up. Of course, had this film come out later in this director’s career everyone would have been expecting a twist and the opening scene would have been enough to spoil the ending. Expectations can ruin things sometimes. 

Bruce Willis is top billed yet he is more of a supporting character to Haley Joel Osment who carries this film. Haley was ten when filming this and yet he is absolutely convincing. He had been acting for five years at this point, getting his start in Forrest Gump,  but The Sixth Sense is where he really became a star. He wasn’t the youngest actor to be nominated for an Oscar but that doesn’t diminish his accomplishments. When he is terrified it is scary accurate. It’s in his expressions, in his eyes and he has full control over his body language, completely selling the fear. Equally good are his scenes when he is legitimately happy, like when he nails a performance on stage as King Arthur and is finally getting some fun time with his peers. His final scene with his mother when he talks to her about his dead grandmother, her mother, visiting him and sharing stories about her, is so powerful that it never fails to bring tears to my eyes every time I see it. Haley is so good here but Toni Collette is matching him beat for beat. 

Toni Collette has what could be a thankless role yet she manages to make it memorable. She is a single mother working two jobs and consequently is often absent from the movie. But when she is there she is killing it. Her concern for her child is palpable. Her emotions run raw when she feels accused by the doctors of abusing her son. Her response when seeing cuts in Cole’s sweater and matches them to cuts on his back could have been over-the-top and we would have bought that. But Toni is better than that. She is horrified by what she has found but her reaction is subdued. She calmly leaves her son sleeping and calls the mother of her son’s bullies and has some choice words for her. It’s a simple moment but it says a lot about her character. 

This is easily M. Night Shyamalan’s best film. With the success of this movie he got in a rut where everything had to be fantastical and end with a twist and, as long as he kept playing up that, his films faltered and frustrated. These twist endings would get more and more convoluted as well as less set up in advance, making them impossible to predict. His later films, less reliant of the twist, are far more satisfying but it took a while to get there. For far too long he had a reputation that he wanted to keep feeding in to and it pigeon-holed him for years. Even now he hasn’t quite jettisoned that stereotype. 

Psychological horror films rarely make an impact during awards season. The Sixth Sense is one of the few exceptions to that. It defies the idea that Oscar nominated films are all stuffy dramas that only appeal to a small percentage of the population. Every time I hear people complain about only films no one sees being nominated I point out things like The Silence of the Lambs, Barbie, and The Sixth Sense. These movies made a ton at the box office and went on to Best Picture nominations. The Silence of the Lambs even won that race. The Sixth Sense earned nearly $700 million at the box office making it one of the most profitable films of 1999. It was also critically lauded and launched the career of the director who has consistently released films ever since. Thanks to The Sixth Sense every year or so a new movie will launch with the name M. Night Shyamalan being the selling point in the trailers. There is expectation whenever a film boasts his name in the advertisements. All of that started here. Films like Unbreakable and Signs, as interesting as they are, would not have nearly the fanbase had they not proceeded The Sixth Sense.

Academy Award Nominations:

Best Picture: Frank Marshall, Kathleen Kennedy and Barry Mendel

Best Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Best Supporting Actor: Haley Joel Osment

Best Supporting Actress: Toni Collette

Best Original Screenplay: M. Night Shyamalan

Best Film Editing: Andrew Mondshein

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Release Date: August 6, 1999

Running Time: 108 Minutes

Rated PG-13

Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Olivia Williams and Haley Joel Osment

Directed By: M. Night Shyamalan