Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Old’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

(Photo Credit: Phobymo/Universal Pictures)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the motion picture, ‘Old’.
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It is definitely safe to say, that life can be quite the confusing venture. Because despite being taught when we are young, to take a moment to appreciate the beauty of the world that surrounds us and that leading a good and fulfilling life will help us to find direction and peace, and the meaning of life… once we get out into the world, those lessons fade from our minds since we quickly find ourselves in the midst of quite the fight. For the world can be quite the angry and desolate place at times, one that offers no mercy to those down on their luck and it will force us to go to the extra mile to find what we want, and while that fight alone is enough to confuse a person as to how to uncover the meaning of their existence or find peace, the world still has more curveballs to throw our way.
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For at times, the chaos that the universe shares with everyone, will seemingly rob us of our dreams or delay us from achieving them and to complicate matters further… it also seems eager to change the standings of the important relationships we cherish, and it will even go so far… as to steal the lives away of those we love. And when we look at life in such a black and white and objective manner, it makes our existence not only seem confusing and nonsensical… but also meaningless. As though it is a collection of events that offer nothing. But the fact of the matter, is that life is indeed as beautiful as our parents once taught us and it does have meaning and offers a great deal of fulfillment. Provided of course we examine an angle of our existence that we don’t think about all that often and it just so happens that writer/director M. Night Shyamalan takes the time to explore just that, in his latest horror offering… Old.

Now in this particular film, we are transported to a paradise like resort to spend a little time with a family that is in crisis. For Prisca has recently received an unsettling diagnosis about her health, and she’s of the belief that this will be her last outing with her beloved husband and children, so it is best she makes the most of it before her health declines. But a surprise invitation to enjoy the wonder of a supremely secluded beach is going to ruin her plans. For this island is host to a strange conflux of scientific surprises, the kind where this beach is able to accelerate the age of anyone who sets foot upon it and now it will be a race against time to escape this beach before it robs everyone of their lives… well before they were supposed to end.

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Which is a plot that at first glance seems grounded more so in the chaos we discussed instead of offering up meaning and well… as it turns out, that’s all part of the plan. Because in order to find the meaning in question, we need to see the chaos in the raw and boy is there plenty of it here. Because watching these good people age before our eyes and see their worst fears about growing old be realized as their bodies begin to fail them, makes for some terrifying and engrossing moments. The kind that genuinely put the horrors and chaos of life on display and this outright robs us of hope in the process. Because there is no escape for the people of this beach and death is looming and just when it seems as though this movie is going to break the audience in the same manner that it is breaking the characters, well that is when the more positive commentary comes into play.
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For it becomes evident in the third act, that the meaning of life isn’t necessarily revealed by our career choices or money or the other elements we think add that depth. No instead, this movie postulates that the meaning of life… is found in the moment. Something we simply don’t think about all that often because we are focused heavily on tomorrow and what comes next. But if we just… sat down and reflected upon where we are at right now and what’s happening to us in the moment, we will find some powerful meaning. For we will realize that in that exact second… we have exactly what we want and nothing else will matter but what’s right in front of us, and that is a profound way to inject a message into a horror film. Largely because horror tends to teach us things by way of a warning. So going this more positive and optimistic route, makes this quite the unique film for certain.

One that speaks to the fact that M. Night Shyamalan has grown significantly as a filmmaker. For everything here feels intimate in nature and the story and its underlying message is the priority here for Mr. Shyamalan over the twists, and going that route, allows for the multiple surprises in this story to feel organic in nature instead of feeling forced. In fact, as an added bonus, offering up the twists in  a subtle manner, actually adds depth to one in particular, since it speaks volumes to how we fear death and how we will go to great lengths to cheat it and well, in the end, all of these elements make this a worthwhile and fulfilling watch for certain. Simply because this is a motion picture that stays with you long after it has come to end, thanks to the fact that it takes the time to teach us… that the chaos that surrounds us in this life isn’t designed to bring us down or harm us, but to genuinely teach us to appreciate the now and everything it has to offer.

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