Even without that famous twist ending, The Sixth Sense would still be a great film. Of all the controversial opinions that a film fan could have, this is probably the least likely to get you cancelled on Letterboxd. It is generally accepted that if, in an alternate universe, director M Night Shyamalan‘s movie had ended with the car confessional scene—the one in which Cole’s mother finally understands his secret—it would have effectively resolved the plot’s central conflict, and made for an emotionally satisfying conclusion. The he-was-dead-all-along ending is ultimately unnecessary, because Shyamalan had already succeeded in drawing us in with a moving story about a strained parent-child relationship. The twist doesn’t complete the film; it merely complements it.
But in the pre-internet age, it achieved something quite unique. Without the twist, audiences would have applauded the film’s emotionally resonant storytelling and it would probably still have been quite successful at the Oscars. But with it, The Sixth Sense became a blockbuster. As stunned crowds returned for repeat viewings and combed through the carefully concealed clues that Shyamalan had strewn throughout his script, a sombre drama about a disturbed child became the year’s second highest grossing film with nearly $700 million in the bank. It also gave Shyamalan—he was hailed as the new Spielberg back then—a lifelong blank cheque to do whatever he wants.
Comments