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Some people have different opinions about M. Night Shyamalan's work. Still, the same may be said about Quentin Tarantino, Christopher Nolan, David Fincher, and Paul Thomas Anderson. Shyamalan is known for his particular style of filmmaking. But what appeals to us the most about Shyamalan movies?

When I originally became aware of Shyamalan, I was still in high school. I was given a VHS video of 102 Dalmatians (2000) by a classmate, for whatever reason I can't recall, but I fast-forwarded the movie straight through and ended up watching one of Shyamalan's earlier films, Praying with Anger (1992).

Praying with Anger's straightforward yet gripping plot won me over right away. As the main character, Shyamalan was believable. The following week, I admitted to the classmate that I had actually watched Praying with Anger instead of the dog movie I had claimed to have watched. With a burst of laughter, he said that his sister and her friend had most likely videotaped it. I told him to watch the movie in its entirety. I'm not sure if he did, as I didn't see him again after that.

I discovered The Sixth Sense (1999) a few months later while visiting a video store (Blockbuster, for anyone who remembers those establishments). Since I was still in high school, I didn't have enough money to rent it. But after a few months, I managed to locate it at a nearby library. After seeing The Sixth Sense, I became a fan of Shyamalan's work, but it wasn't until I saw Unbreakable (2000) a few years later that I understood how masterful the director really is. 

I find it fascinating that Shyamalan has never made the same film twice. He has always stayed unique, in contrast to most others. That requires bravery and audacity, in my opinion, especially considering that most directors tend to rehash the same material. 

I also find it intriguing that Shyamalan frequently incorporates a variety of symbols and motifs into his movies. His extensive use of water is among the most intriguing aspects of his art. Shyamalan employs water to convey significance in nearly all of his works. Even if there's only a small water puddle. 

Ivy's scene in the woods during The Village's (2004) final act serves as a prime illustration. A small amount of water is also shown in the third act of his Eastrail 177 trilogy, Glass (2019). Water, however, is depicted in Unbreakable, Lady in the Water (2006), and Old (2021) as both a dangerous and pure element. Water is depicted in Signs (2002) as sacred as young Bo sips it, but we also feel reassured when we find out that the alien visitors to the farm are actually allergic to it. 

In addition to being symbolic of purity, water serves as a baptismal experience for the majority of Shyamalan's protagonists in his films. Unbreakable has a deleted scene in which David Dunn, having escaped the train crash unscathed, is seen taking a shower during the first act. 

There are other filmmakers who also depict water. Béla Tarr, the Hungarian director, and Russia’s Andrei Tarkvosky both depicted water. Rain purifies people in Tarkovsky's films, but in Tarr's films, it only creates mud, according to Tarr, who retired from filmmaking in 2011. Tarr is spot on with that quote, which is rather interesting.

However, why does Shyamalan primarily use water? Maybe that's what he fears. This is because Shyamalan primarily explores his fears in his thrillers. Regarding water, he once claimed to have drowned and briefly died in the 2004 Syfy channel documentary The Buried Secret of M. Night Shyamalan, which was meant to promote The Village. However, Shyamalan later dropped that claim because the documentary was untrue. Still, there's a certain logic to why Shyamalan uses water so frequently in his movies. It can also be because of how he was raised. 

According to Hindu mythology, water is the basis of life and is described as the foundation of the whole. Shyamalan is not religious; therefore, I'm not suggesting that. He has a spiritual nature. Still, culture has a significant influence on how our ideas develop as we mature. For instance, in our culture, adults in the room would likely tell a child spilling water unintentionally that it shouldn't worry, since water is light and will bring luck in the future.

I think Shyamalan employs water in his movies for the same purposes. It's always loaded with symbolism such as strength, comfort, purity, and weakness.

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