M. Night Shyamalan's Old takes viewers on a journey to a secluded beach where time moves at an accelerated pace, forcing characters to confront their deepest fears and vulnerabilities as they age rapidly over the course of a single day.
This 2021 thriller offers a unique blend of suspense, mystery, and existential dread, all wrapped in the director’s signature storytelling style.
This article unpacks the film's premise, behind-the-scenes insights, key details, hidden references, and more, providing a comprehensive look at one of Shyamalan's most intriguing films.
Premise and Plot
Old, directed by M. Night Shyamalan, centers around the Capa family—Guy (Gael García Bernal), Prisca (Vicky Krieps), and their children Trent and Maddox—who embark on a tropical vacation to a luxurious resort. The resort manager suggests they visit a secluded beach for a unique and private experience. The family, along with a few other vacationers, takes the opportunity, unaware of the bizarre and life-altering events that will unfold.
Upon arriving at the beach, the group notices a series of unusual occurrences. They discover that time behaves differently on this beach, causing them to age rapidly. Children turn into teenagers within hours, and adults age significantly in a matter of days. The realization of their accelerated aging process comes with horrifying consequences as they struggle to find a way to escape the beach’s grip.
The plot weaves together the suspense of their survival attempts with a deeper exploration of the human condition, the passage of time, and the inevitability of aging. The film maintains a balance between thrilling moments and existential reflections, characteristic of Shyamalan’s storytelling style.
Production and Behind-the-Scenes Insights
Here are some notable behind-the-scenes insights that highlight the dedication and creativity involved in bringing Old to life.
1. Filming Locations
Old was filmed extensively in the Dominican Republic, marking the first time M. Night Shyamalan did not shoot a single scene in his hometown of Philadelphia since his directorial debut. The primary location was Playa El Valle beach in the Samaná Peninsula, a lush and scenic spot that added to the film's eerie atmosphere. The production also utilized Pinewood Dominican Republic Studios for certain scenes.
2. Adaptation from Graphic Novel
Old is inspired by the graphic novel Sandcastle by Pierre Oscar Lévy and Frederik Peeters. While the film diverges from the source material in several ways, including adding the pharmaceutical company subplot, it retains the core theme of grappling with time and mortality. The adaptation allowed Shyamalan to explore his anxieties around death and aging, making the project deeply personal for him.
3. Filming Challenges
The production faced numerous challenges, including shooting during hurricane season, which caused logistical nightmares. The team had to deal with fluctuating tides, water levels, and natural lighting, often filming scenes out of chronological order based on these conditions. A massive wall built for filming was severely damaged by a hurricane, illustrating the tough circumstances the crew endured.
4. COVID-19 Protocols
Filming took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, requiring stringent health guidelines to ensure the safety of the cast and crew. Despite these hurdles, principal photography was completed in a relatively short span, from September 26, 2020, to November 15, 2020.
5. Use of 35mm Film
In a nod to traditional filmmaking, Shyamalan chose to shoot Old on 35mm film, the first time he had done so since 2010’s The Last Airbender. This decision added a tactile quality to the film, aligning with its themes of time and aging.
6. Director's Cameo
As is typical in Shyamalan's films, he made a cameo appearance. In Old, he plays the resort employee who drives the guests to the beach and monitors their activities, adding a personal touch to the film’s narrative.
Cast and Characters
Gael García Bernal stars as Guy Cappa, an actuary who is on vacation with his family. His wife, Prisca Cappa, a museum curator, is played by Vicky Krieps.
Their children, Trent and Maddox, are portrayed at different ages by various actors: Nolan River as Trent at age 6, Luca Faustino Rodriguez as Trent at age 11, Alex Wolff as Trent at age 15, and Emun Elliott as adult Trent; Alexa Swinton as Maddox at age 11, Thomasin McKenzie as Maddox at age 16, and Embeth Davidtz as adult Maddox.
Rufus Sewell plays Charles, a cardiac surgeon dealing with worsening schizophrenia, and his trophy wife, Chrystal, is portrayed by Abbey Lee. Their daughter, Kara, is played by Kylie Begley at age 6, Mikaya Fisher at age 11, and Eliza Scanlen at age 15.
Nikki Amuka-Bird and Ken Leung appear as Patricia and Jarin Carmichael, a psychologist and a nurse, respectively. Aaron Pierre plays the rapper Mid-Sized Sedan, whose real name is Brendan.
Additional cast members include Kathleen Chalfant as Agnes, Charles' mother; Gustaf Hammarsten as the resort manager; and M. Night Shyamalan himself as the resort employee who drives the guests to the beach and monitors their activities.
The film’s plot required characters to age rapidly, necessitating extensive use of prosthetics and makeup. Actors had to undergo multiple transformations in a single day to depict different stages of aging. This involved intricate planning and coordination to ensure continuity and realism. The process was demanding, with actors spending considerable time in makeup to achieve the desired effects, contributing to the film's immersive experience.
Explainers, Key Details, and Hidden References
Let’s go into some of the most interesting aspects that fans and critics have uncovered, shedding light on the movie's deeper connections.
1. Shared Universe Connection With Knick at the Cabin
Fans have spotted a possible connection between Old and Shyamalan's Knock at the Cabin. In Old, Nikki Amuka-Bird’s Patricia mentions her sister is a nurse. In Knock at the Cabin, the same actor also plays Sabrina, a nurse, suggesting a potential link between the two characters and hinting at a shared universe.
2. Electromagnetic Material Explanation
The rapid aging on the beach is attributed to the presence of electromagnetic material in the surrounding cliffs. This material causes cells to age at an accelerated rate of approximately one year every half hour. The children’s aging is more apparent due to their ongoing growth, while the adults do not exhibit grey hair because hair and nails, being dead cells, are unaffected.
The scientific grounding of this phenomenon adds a layer of plausibility to the supernatural elements of the plot. Additionally, the lack of fish in the water is a significant detail, as fish cannot survive the accelerated aging effects. This detail becomes crucial when Trent and Maddox successfully escape by swimming through a coral passage and suddenly see a school of fish, indicating they have left the beach's influence.
3. Homage to The Missouri Breaks
Throughout Old, Charles (played by Rufus Sewell) is fixated on remembering the title of the 1976 movie The Missouri Breaks, starring Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson. This recurring reference is more than just a character quirk; it holds a deep personal significance for M. Night Shyamalan.
Shyamalan revealed that the obsession with The Missouri Breaks was inspired by his own father, who suffers from dementia. His father would repeatedly talk about the movie, which prompted Shyamalan to incorporate this element into Charles's character. The film serves as a symbolic anchor for Charles, representing a fragment of his sanity as his mental state deteriorates due to the beach's effects.
This homage adds a poignant layer to the film, reflecting Shyamalan's personal experiences and paying tribute to his father's memories. The inclusion of this forgotten western, despite Shyamalan admitting he has never seen it, enriches the narrative by tying it to real-life emotional connections and the themes of memory and aging explored in the movie.
4. Revelation of the Pharmaceutical Company
The end of the film reveals that the resort is a front for the pharmaceutical company Warren & Warren. This company uses the beach’s unique aging properties to conduct rapid drug trials, compressing a lifetime of clinical testing into just one day.
The guests, selected for their specific medical conditions, are unknowingly given experimental drugs disguised as cocktails. This allows the company to observe the long-term effects of these treatments in a very short period. The moral and ethical implications of this practice are starkly highlighted, especially as the company's employees celebrate the apparent success of their trials without regard for the human cost.
Reception and Critique
Old received a mixed response from critics and audiences, showcasing both the strengths and weaknesses of M. Night Shyamalan's filmmaking style.
Critical Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, Old holds a score that indicates mixed reviews. Critics praised its intriguing premise and the visual execution by Shyamalan, who effectively captured the unsettling atmosphere of the aging beach. However, the film was also criticized for its dialogue and character development, with some finding the writing clunky and the performances uneven.
Positive Highlights
Many reviews acknowledged Shyamalan’s ability to maintain suspense and tension throughout the film. The exploration of existential themes, such as the fear of aging and the passage of time, resonated strongly with some viewers. The unique concept and the way it was visually represented were often highlighted as the film’s major strengths.
Negative Critiques
Common criticisms center on the film’s ending and the resolution of its central mystery. Some reviewers felt that the conclusion was too neat and failed to capitalize on the build-up of tension and horror. The dialogue and some character arcs were also points of contention, with suggestions that the script lacked depth in portraying the characters' emotional journeys.
Box Office Performance
Despite the mixed critical reception, Old performed well at the box office, grossing around $90 million worldwide against an $18 million budget. This commercial success demonstrates Shyamalan’s continued ability to attract audiences with his unique storytelling approach and reputation for unexpected twists.
These reviews reflect the polarizing nature of Shyamalan’s work, with Old being praised for its originality and thematic depth while also facing criticism for its execution and narrative choices.
Sequel or Spinoff for Old
Given the intriguing premise and unresolved questions in Old, speculations about a potential sequel or spinoff are inevitable. While M. Night Shyamalan has not officially announced any follow-up projects, he has shared some thoughts on the matter in recent interviews.
Shyamalan has expressed a general reluctance towards making sequels, emphasizing his preference for original storytelling. However, he admitted to having some ideas for a continuation of the Old story. In one interview, he mentioned that although he doesn't naturally think about sequels, he did conceive another idea related to the Old universe but decided not to pursue it further, stating, "Let's just move on to the other movies.”
Despite Shyamalan's hesitation, fans have theorized various directions a sequel or spinoff could take. One possibility is exploring the origins of the beach's unique aging properties and the history of the pharmaceutical company's experiments, providing a deeper understanding of the scientific and possibly supernatural elements at play. Another potential narrative could focus on the aftermath of Trent and Maddox's escape, detailing their efforts to expose the company's unethical practices and the broader societal implications of the experiments.
Additionally, new characters could be introduced in a spinoff, finding themselves trapped on the same or a similar beach. This approach would allow for fresh stories and perspectives while maintaining the core concept of accelerated aging and the accompanying existential horror.
While these ideas remain speculative, the open-ended nature of Old and its rich thematic potential provide ample material for further exploration. However, given Shyamalan's inclination towards creating new stories, it seems more likely that he will continue to surprise audiences with original concepts rather than revisiting the world of Old.