!"# !"#$% !

'()'
!"#$ &'("')

The Sixth Sense is a 'N. Night Shamalan' film
with a gieat thiiu act twist. It's a stoiy of a
young boy who has a seciet, one that he's been
living with, scaieu of, anu tiying to hiue anu get
away fiom. Cole the young boy who sees ueau
people, all the time '!"# %"&'(' (")( *&+# '##'
),# &- .#&.+# /"& 01#0 21&+#3(+4 )30 ("#4 ),#
%,5#'&6#7 #2#3 '"&8913%7 13 )..#),)38#:; (0.N,
2uu4). Not all of them know that they aie
ueau, anu we know this because this is what he
tells Bi. Ciowe.

The film opens in Bi. Nalcolm's Ciowe's (Biuce
Willis) home wheie him anu his wife aie
speaking about his achievement as a chilu
psychiatiist anu theii life togethei. A shoit
while aftei he his shot by a boy he once helpeu,
anu looking at the boy's conuition it shows that
he was not ok anu he nevei was, even aftei
ieceiving the uoctois help he hau been suffeiing, leauing him to take Bi. Ciowe's
anu his own life.

uoing stiaight into the next fall, we meet Cole. Be is a veiy miseiable boy with a
clou fiont, howevei it is obvious that he knows moie than we think anu that
something oi someone scaies him - anu at the beginning of the film this is
uncleai. At times we assume it's the stoiies he's heaiu fiom othei chiluien who
aie tiying to scaie him. Bowevei this isn't the case anu its obvious because of the
scais on his bouy, we know his mothei isn't haiming him because we see how
much she loves him, even though she looks like one of those motheis who uiess
a little taity 'showing cleavage, etc.' anu caie moie about hei appeaiance anu
men than hei chilu; howevei she is not like this; anu its eviuent that Cole is
eveiything to hei. Cole uoesn't tell anyone his seciet because he feels no one can
help him; talking fiom pievious expeiience, theiefoie it takes him a while to
open up to Bi. Ciowe. 0thei kius anu people iefei to Cole as a fieak anu this
seems like one ieason why he hasn't tolu anyone; he simply piays. It shows he
feels safei when he piays oi is in the piesence of gou, uue to the iegulai visits to
chuich anu the little tent he has maue in his ioom, with his collection of small
sculptuies of }esus which he hiues in.


Thioughout the film we ieally sympathies foi Cole because he is a young boy
who is so teiiifieu. Be hates when people look at him in a ceitain way anu it
makes his behavioi change. Foi what he is going thiough he is veiy stiong,
Figuie 1- Film Postei - The Sixth Sense
because he hasn't tolu anyone about it. Anu when he opens up to the uoctoi aftei
we see how scaieu the kiu
is; making the inciuent at
a fiienus biithuay paity
wheie his class mates,
even moie shocking anu
hoiiific, because he was
lockeu in theie with
someone else (someone
ueau), anu latei
explaining wheie the
sciatches come all fiom.

The use of colouis anu
sounu ieally contiibute to the moou of the film. The natuial uaik colouis with
smalls amounts of ieu ieally inuicate anu emphasis the moou anu suggest the
chaiacteis peisonality. A gieat example of this is at the young giil's funeial
towaius the enu of the film, wheie Cole anu Bi. Ciowe attenu because the little
giil wants to give something to hei uau anu Cole is heie to uo that. With
eveiyone theie uiesseu in black (as it is a funeial), aftei watching the tape that
the little giil gave to hei uau, which showeu his wife auuing something to the
little giils foou making hei sick. The cameia pans acioss anu the women is
stanuing theie at this funeial uiesseu in ieu when confionteu. This suggests that
the ueath of the little giil uoesn't anu hasn't affecteu hei, poitiaying a veiy colu,
emotionless anu evil peisonality. Suggesting the coloui '.,#0 1' 5'#0 (& '1%31-4 )
%"&'(; anu the <=,#0 )++&/' -&, ("# )501#38# (& 6)9# )3 "4.&("#'1'; (Legiton,
2uu8). Anu we see seveial examples in the film to iefeience this foi example his
jumpei, the balloon, the chuich uoois anu his tent (this sense that on one siue
theie's the ghost anu the othei its safe.
















The use of both sounus anu silence in the film effectively builus to the suspense
anu makes the hoiioi scene a lot scaiiei, anu getting acioss infoimation even
thiough silence. <>3# #?)6.+# &- 5'13% '438",&31'6 /1(" &3'8,##3 '&530 13 &,0#,
(& 0&613)(# #3(1,#+4 ("# )5,)+ '.)8# 8)3 @# '##3 13 ("# '8#3# 13 /"18" ("# 0&8(&,
Figuie 2, Cole telling Bi Ciowe his seciet aftei the attack closet
inciuent
Figuie S - The little giils Funeial
,#(,1#2#' )3 &+0 ().#; (Baiatieii 0.u). Baving the tape being iepeateu seveial
times anu the volume inciease makes it haiuei to heai howevei we heai
something. Anothei example of this is when he heais noises fiom the attic closet
as he goes upstaiis the noises inciease anu then theie a suuuen silence, aftei
being tiappeu the balloon then busting ovei his scieams suggesting what he was
going thiough anu his uespeiation.

0nce we iealise that the ghosts aie not theie to haim Cole oi anyone but have
things they wanteu to say too loveu ones oi things they wanteu to uo befoie they
passeu but nevei got the chance, the hoiioi of the film uiffuses almost instantly
anu when we see the ghost aftei as an auuience we aie no longei scaieu. Anu we
aie happy that Cole has anu is able to face them with little oi no feai of haim, anu
this is shown when he pulls out the (ieu) swoiu fiom the stone in his class play,
it somewhat suggest that he is going to face the ieality, anu accept that he can see
the ueau.






















Figuie 4 - Bi. Ciowe wife weaiing ieu 'signifying a ghost is piesent) - the ghost being Bi. Ciowe

Bibliogiaphy

Baiatieii, }acii Paulo (0.u), !"# A&/#, &- B&530 13 ("# -1+6 !"# B1?(" B#3'# , At:
http:baiatieii.tiipou.comiu26.html
Accesseu on 19uS2u1S

Leighton, Scott, (2uu8), *&+&5, C&(1- )30 ("# B1?(" B#3'#, At:
http:sites.miuulebuiy.euusleighto2uu81uu2the-sixth-sense
Accesseu on 19uS2u1S

0nknown, (2uu4), !"# B1?(" B#3'#, At:
http:www.commonsensemeuia.oigmovie-ieviewsthe-sixth-sense
Accesseu on 19uS2u1S

Illustiations

Figuie 1, (1999), The Sixth Sense, (Film Postei), Biiecteu by N. Night Shamalan,
At: http:www.impawaius.com1999sixth_sense_vei1.html
Accesseu on 19uS2u1S

Figuie 2, (1999), *&+# (#++13% D,E *,&/# "1' '#8,#( /"1+'( 13 "&'.1()+, The Sixth
Sense, (Film Still), Biiecteu by by N. Night Shamalan, At:
http:vikileak.woiupiess.com2u12uS11the-sixth-sense-a-key-scene-
analysis
Accesseu on 19uS2u1S

Figuie S, (1999) !"# 4&53% %1,+;' -53#,)+, The Sixth Sense, (Film Still), Biiecteu by
N. Night Shamalan, At: http:guivasmovies.blogspot.co.uk2u1212top-five-
films-S-sixth-sense.html
Accesseu on 19uS2u1S

Figuie 4 (1999), D,E *,&/# ')413% %&&0@4# (& "1' /1-# )-(#, ,#)+1F13% "# 1' 0#)0
G/"1+'( '"# +)4 )'+##. /#),13% ,#0), The Sixth Sense, (Film Still), Biiecteu by by N.
Night Shamalan, At: http:filmwoiu.blogspot.co.uk2u1S11the-sixth-sense-
symbolism-of-ieu.html
Accesseu on 19uS2u1S