Everyone has moments where they hear, see, or feel something that they know is real but that everyone else misses–moments that make you feel like you’re crazy because you noticed something no one else could. Imagine that was your entire life, and no one could ever understand what you are feeling. For one young boy, that was the reality.
The 1999 movie “The Sixth Sense,” directed by M. Night Shyamalan, features Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis), a specialist in helping mentally troubled children. One of these children, Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) has that exact ability. He can see, hear and communicate with dead people.
Throughout the movie, both Dr. Crowe and Cole fight through challenges they face in their daily lives. Cole, of course, is battling through his mental struggles with the dead people and the effects they have on his life. Meanwhile, Dr. Crowe is fighting a loss of connection with his wife.
These troubles that they work through play off of each other, with Cole even helping Dr. Crowe with his problems. When talking to Cole about his struggles, Dr. Crowe opens up to him.
“I want to be able to talk to my wife again. The way we used to talk to each other. Like there’s no one else in the world except us,” Crowe said. “…I can’t be your doctor anymore: I haven’t paid enough attention to my family. Bad things happen when you do that. Do you understand?”
There is another key connection during a moment when both Dr. Crowe and Cole attend a funeral reception of Kyra Collins, a girl who had recently succumbed to disease, in the Collins’ home. This is another huge plot point in Cole’s journey towards inner peace. Dr. Crowe accompanies Cole on his way to Kyra’s room, they exchange words right before Cole goes to the door, and Dr. Crowe offers some words of encouragement as this is a huge step for Cole. What happens after is a huge plot point that I won’t spoil, but this scene alone makes this movie very much worth watching.
This scene summarizes the importance of the whole movie. It acts as a turning point in both characters’ journeys to feeling better again and shows how well written this movie is as the moment and timing is perfect. Delivering this plot twist during a moment like this perfectly sums up the unpredictable nature and shock that I felt throughout the movie.
Personally, I thought both Cole and his mother Lynn Sear (Toni Collette) were cast perfectly. Osment fully embraces the role he was given and has so many moments where the acting felt real, almost like you were included in the current action. His mother plays off of his role perfectly. Colette was tasked to play a single mother working two jobs to provide for a young, troubled boy while also worrying about both of their mental states. I thought her acting was especially good during the very last time we see her and Cole talk together while stuck in traffic. The emotions she shows are in direct correlation with Cole and his current situation.
With how this movie ended, I thought that Vincent Grey (Donnie Wahlberg) was used in a very interesting fashion. Grey was an old patient of Dr. Crowe, and was in the opening scene of the movie. His underlying impression that existed throughout the rest of the film was a very broad–and a little confusing–yet interesting style. His role seemed completely misplaced and unimportant, which, in hindsight, was very good writing in relation to how he really impacted the overall plot.
I personally didn’t think it was shocking, but there are a few scarier scenes. If noises, flashing, and any sort of jump scare or shock aren’t for you, then the movie isn’t either. The main fears are only Cole’s ability to see ghosts, and are fears with the ghosts themselves. If you don’t like things that pop out at you or come up on you by surprise, or things that are a little graphic, I would recommend avoiding this movie altogether.
Personally, I would rate this movie about a 9/10. The first half not including the first scene is a little bit slow, but once you get into it, it is really great. I would recommend this to anyone who likes movies that feel very real and make the viewer feel like they are part of the story, not just watching from afar.
You can watch this movie on any Disney-related website, as well as HBO MAX, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+ with a subscription.
This movie is very much worth a watch. Even though the movie is based on paranormal activity, it shows so many more deep lessons about life, people, and communication that make it a beneficial watch.
