M. Night Shyamalan And The Danger Of Ego

Lady In The Water (2006) began life as a bed time story that M Night Shyamalan would tell his children. It follows a kind of mermaid, here called a Narf (played by Bryce Dallas Howard), who becomes stranded in the swimming pool of an apartment complex.

The residents, led by Paul Giamatti's character, try to help the Narf get back to her world by interpreting a number of signs and acting out a kind of ritual, whilst trying to evade a creature called a Scrunt. It often feels, especially with its use of music, as if it’s meant to be a magical kids film, but it’s hard to follow and whilst often fast-paced, it’s too talky for kids.

Much of the information about the production of Lady In The Water in this video comes from Michael Bamberger's book, The Man Who Heard Voices: Or, How M. Night Shyamalan Risked His Career On A Fairy Tale. While his comments about Shyamalan are careful and he enters his relationship with the filmmaker as a pre-existing fan, he does paint a rich picture of the man and the problems surrounding Lady In The Water's development, shoot, and post-production.


The Man Who Heard Voices (Gotham Books, New York, ISBN 1-59240-213-5) - Written By Michael Bamberger, 2006.

Lady in the Water M. Night Shyamalan interview - by Chuck the Movieguy.
   • Lady in the Water M. Night Shyamalan ...  

Snubbed by Disney, What's Shyamalan to Do? Walk (and Diss) (Contemporary article critical of Bamberger's book).
https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/10/bo...