Trap: Shyamalan’s Craziest Trompe l’oeil(***)

The relationship between truth and plausibility is like that between mischief and lying. Truth belongs to morality; to credibility, to beauty. Truth is an intrinsic quality that has nothing to do with a harsh exterior, whereas the success of something credible depends entirely on what is superficial. The virtue of a lie is that it does not look like a lie, while the crudeness of a lie is the consequence of the loudest, most obvious, and therefore most truthful lie. Indeed, in the course of time, matters have become so complex that the essence of truth in any artistic (or, as the case may be, political) activity lies precisely in its ability to lie well and thereby achieve its goals. The most essential truth. Accordingly, one of the worst, most boring accidents that can happen to a work of art is its literalism, its grandiosity, its affectation of truth.

“trap”and without wanting to blow anything up, it’s basically one big lie. Perhaps the greatest director of his entire career is determined to fool his audience again and again. Following the instructions of Hitchcock’s greatest con master, Shyamalan comes up with a “thriller” soul-stirring story full of lies within lies. A father who is more than just a father goes to a concert with a daughter who doesn’t really know who her father is. They soon realize that the concert in question is also something else: a trap. So far, you can read. Without any hint of realism, the director offers the most insane tribute to the techniques he has used throughout his career. It does so without paying too much attention to things like subtlety, elegance, or what good people say “Skill‘. The Trap is exactly like this: A trap where everything is in sight; a trap that knows it is a trap; a trap that can be enjoyed without a trap.

Shyamalan has, in fact, spent his life thinking about this question, even if it might seem otherwise. His first film, and his most famous, was based on a big lie. Since then, a large part of his work has been about deceiving his audience in the most elegant and authentic way possible. His most vivid reflection on this matter is in The Liar.Water Girl The argument therein is its own argument: the way allegory is mixed with the obvious until reality is given an elegant meaning. Lies as tools of truth. So.

From the most basic perspective, as’ThrillerThis is Shyamalan’s latest work Very consciously approaching nonsense, This is nothing more than a lie presented in the crudest way. It is difficult to follow the obviously unbelievable plot proposed by the director. However, it is precisely because of its crudeness and its boldness in exposing itself nakedly to the eyes that it finally becomes ‘trap’. Then there was the cold reflection on fame in the digital age. But in reality, it was just another trap, or better yet, a trompe l’oeil. How tender and also very deceptive the marketing campaign that Shyamalan, the father, had run for his daughter Saleka as a new pop star was. All lies. All true. Shyamalan was liberated.

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Director: M. Night Shyamalan. Cast: Josh Hartnett, Saleka, Hayley Mills, Marnie MacPhail, Ariel Joy Donoghue. Duration: 105 minutes. Nationality: American.