The Others

The Others 1. The title of this film refers to the “spirits” that live in Grace’s house, but really Grace, Anne and Nicolas are “the others”. The kids use this term to define the voices they heart. 2. The elements chosen by Amenábar are the weather, with a lot of fog, the atmosphere of the house, always dark for the kids’ health condition, and the context, in the 40s. Moreover the characters are dressed with dark clothes and all these elements create a perfect horror atmosphere. 3. The Film is set in the 40s, just after the second wold war. The director doesn't tell us directly, but we can know it because Grace’s husband is fighting against the Germans and because of the clothes of the characters.

4. Grace: She is the mother of Anne and Nicholas. She is very sad because hes husband died in the war. Moreover she has to take care of her children, who are photosensitive, so they can’t go outside during the day. She is very strict with children, and their studies are based on the Holly Bible. She can look mad, but that’s because she doesn’t know they are dead. The kids: Anne and Nicholas are photosensitive and they can’t see the sun. They always have to stay at home with the courtines closed without going outside.

The housekeepers: They were Grace’s servants when she was still alive. After Grace’s death, they left the house, but now they are dead and have to explain to Grace that she is dead too. The director: Alejandro Amenábar has directed other films, like Mar Adentro or Tesis. When he directed The others he was 29 years old. This film has won 8 Goya prizes. 5. The Others is an example of Gothic fiction. This is a melodramatic film, with a “supernatural atmosphere”. In the film there are lot of solitary places, like most of the rooms of the house or the graden. Mo reover, the decoration, with a dead tree and the fog makes the film more “terrifying”. To sum up, dark elements, for example, the rooms of the house and the madness of Grace are two important characteristic Gothic elements.