Dreams of Stardom (Hollywood SI)

After wrapping up 'Dancer', Mum and I had to return to the States for the promotion of [The Sixth Sense]. The fact that I was recognized by three different people on my flight because of 'the upcoming Bruce Willis movie' showed that Disney's promotion strategy was working wonderfully.

At the end of the day, it was about the number of people who were aware of the film. Once people knew about the film, it came down to reviews and word of mouth. Not to mention, Bruce Willis' mass appeal, which automatically attracted many fans. People who booked advanced tickets did so because of the likability of the actors or the director. It was still not the era of intellectual property where a brand name attracted an audience rather than star power.

[Harry Potter] and [The Lord of the Rings] were two series that started it all, with unknown casts that rocked the movie world to its core.

Sadly, those were still a year or two away from release. So now, we could only rely on Bruce Willis' star power to attract audiences. After that, it was about word of mouth.

Hopefully, people will like this movie.

(Break)

Rod Meyer was a journalist working with the New York Post, one of the most popular media outlets in the United States. He usually did film and television reviews because he could watch films for free and get paid for them at the same time. It couldn't be any better.

Currently, he was in Philadelphia for the screening of Bruce Willis' next movie, [The Sixth Sense].

He wasn't expecting the movie to be any good, to be honest. Willis was an average actor at best. A movie that didn't involve action? Rod wasn't a fan of Bruce, and that was a known fact among his colleagues, but he would still watch and review the movie because he had free flight tickets to Philly and he could brag about why the movie sucked.

The film was still a week away from the premiere and two weeks away from the wide public release. That made Rod rethink. Usually, studios didn't hold a media screening in advance if the test audience indicated the movie was bad.

A two-week advance screening meant the test audience liked what they saw, and the studio wanted larger publicity tours involving the actors, and doing media interviews in advance. That filled him with curiosity about the picture. It must be above average at the very least for the studio to invest in it like that. Curbing his enthusiasm, Rod made his way inside the screening hall. There, he saw Bruce Willis talking to a kid. Was it Bruce's son? No, that's the kid who also had a role in the movie.

Oh! Now he recognized the kid. It was the same one who starred in [Sex Education] last year and won a Golden Globe for it. That was a wonderful film with great acting. Rod sighed internally. Hopefully, this one wouldn't snuff out the kid's future prospects.

He sat down in his assigned seat while keeping an eye out for the kid and saw him hugging a woman around 30. He recognized her as Toni Collette, who starred in the film as the young boy's mother.

After a few more minutes of people coming in, a middle-aged man stepped out in front with a mic. "Hello everyone, thank you for coming to the press screening of [The Sixth Sense]. Before we begin, there are a few rules to be followed while reviewing the movie. First of all, you cannot spoil the movie or its ending in your review, on any public forum, or on the internet. If you do, you will not be allowed to attend any future Disney movie screenings. The points that you cannot discuss in your review will be covered after the screening."

That's quite a strange request for a studio to make. Usually, reviewers don't spoil major twists in thriller movies out of common courtesy, but there are always some idiots who reveal one or two points.

"Secondly, your review can only be released on or after August 6th, the movie's wide release date," the man continued.

That made sense and was the usual practice to ensure people saw the reviews right when the movie was released, keeping the opening weekend buzz high.

"Okay, we'll begin the movie now. Any questions will be taken afterward. You will also have the chance to interview the cast members individually and as a group."

Rod turned his attention to the screen as the opening credits started rolling.

The movie begins with Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) and his wife Anna (Olivia Williams) talking about an award Malcolm received from the mayor. Their love for each other was portrayed nicely and felt believable. As they went into their room, the first twist of the story hit. There was a stranger (Donnie Wahlberg) in their bathroom, waiting for Malcolm. After accusing Malcolm of not helping him, the stranger shot Malcolm in the stomach and then shot himself in the head.

Rod was hooked. A hundred questions were already swirling in his head, and he desperately wanted to know what happened next.

The story took a leap of several months, showing Malcolm recovering from the bullet wound and taking on a new patient: a 9-year-old boy named Cole Sear (Troy Armitage). Cole, a cute little kid, rushed off to a church where Malcolm followed him like a kidnapper.

They talked, and it was revealed that Cole didn't think a doctor could help him because most of them didn't believe him. Malcolm noticed some bruises on Cole's body and was worried that either he was being bullied or physically abused by his guardian.

In the next scene, we are introduced to Cole's mother, Lynn Sear (Toni Collette), in a panning shot where she is getting him ready for school. As soon as she stepped into the bathroom and came back to the kitchen, there was a small shriek around the hall as the viewers saw many open cabinets and drawers. It was all done in one take, so the viewers saw what Lynn was seeing and reacted similarly.

Seeing the reaction around the hall, Rod was eager to see how much further the story would go with the scare moments.

When Cole came back from school, Malcolm was sitting on their sofa chair with Lynn. Lynn got up when she saw Cole and greeted him warmly as they conversed fondly. Everything seemed alright. Because of his young age, the therapist came in person to see his patient.

Some troubling news unfolded when Cole told Malcolm that he liked to draw dead and horrifying images but changed them to rainbows because the teachers wouldn't complain about rainbows.

Malcolm's relationship with his wife was deteriorating because of his continued treatment of Cole, and it seemed she might be having an affair with someone. Meanwhile, Lynn continued to find strange things about her son, like the horrible words he had scribbled all over his notebooks.

Then came a scene in the classroom where Cole announced that their school building was a legal hanging place hundreds of years ago, while his teacher insisted it was a courthouse. In a display of ferocity unseen in him before, Cole shouted at his teacher and mysteriously knew something about the teacher's past that he shouldn't.

At a kids' party, Cole followed a floating balloon up the stairs creepily. Anyone with common sense could tell that something ominous was going to happen soon.

"Don't go in!" someone shouted in the hall, and Rod felt irritated at that person.

Back in the movie, some bullies shoved Cole into a closet and locked the door. All they could hear was Cole's desperate shouting. Every person in the audience was hooked on the story now.

After a talk with a physician where Lynn was suspected of abusing her child, Malcolm talked to Cole. After some conversation, the big reveal came.

Cole whispered a single line that sent chills down the spines of everyone present in the hall.

"I see dead people."

Cole explained how he saw ghosts everywhere and it was hinted that the ghosts hurt him. Malcolm chalked it up to Cole being paranoid and having hallucinations.

Soon after, Cole woke up at night to pee when he came across a woman. He thought it was his mother, but when he called for her, she turned out to be a dead woman with slit wrists.

"Aaahhh!!" There were multiple shrieks across the hall as Cole hid in his tent.

Next, there was a choir event at school where Cole's bully, Tommy, was the lead singer, and Cole was shoved in the back as a backup singer. Tommy got the lead because he had participated in a local singing show and had cleared the preliminaries.

The movie continued, and more ghosts appeared on screen, eliciting more screams from the viewers. Then, in one scene, Lynn accused Cole of taking away a pendant that belonged to Cole's grandma. He denied having stolen it, and Lynn angrily asked him to go away but soon forgave him when Cole was frightened and needed comfort from his mother.

It is confirmed that Malcolm's wife is having an extramarital affair when Malcolm witnesses her almost kiss another man. Seeing that, Malcolm decides to distance himself from Cole's case as it is hampering his marriage. Cole is distraught at the news because he feels that only Malcolm can help him.

This soon changes when Malcolm listens to the tape of Vincent, the man who shot him and hears eerie voices he deduces to be ghosts. Realizing that Cole is telling the truth, he tells Cole and encourages him to talk to the ghosts to find out what they want.

In the next scene, we see the ghost of a girl in Cole's tent, vomiting a gray, gooey substance, eliciting more shrieks around the hall. Finally, Cole gathers up the courage and asks the girl what she wants.

Next, we see Cole visiting the girl's house with Malcolm. It's her funeral. Cole sneaks into her bedroom and finds a box she wants him to give to her father.

They watch the tape and discover that the girl's mother had been poisoning her food with floor cleaner. The reason for her death and the vomiting becomes clear. Cole sits in the front yard with the girl's sister, showing that he saved her from the same fate.

This seems to be the turning point of the story. Cole is now happy and no longer afraid of ghosts. He talks to them and hears their pleas. The scene shifts to Cole participating in a school-wide talent show where he is singing a solo song.

The camera zooms in on Cole as he begins singing beautifully. The song is a classic from [Les Misérables], 'Bring Him Home.'

Cole brings out the raw emotion of the song with his voice, and as he sings the words "Bring him home," his eyes water.

Rod is confused. Why is the kid crying? He was happy a minute ago. He is singing beautifully, but why is he crying? And wait, is that whole scene a single take?

Rod couldn't find words for the masterful acting he was witnessing. A 10-year-old did that? Rod wouldn't be surprised if this kid became the youngest person to win an Oscar in history. The goosebumps he got from this scene alone were more intense than any chills the story had delivered.

When the scene ended, there was a sense of loss in the air, as if Cole had lost something precious, but it was difficult to pinpoint what. At the last phrase of "Bring him home," the camera cut to Malcolm, who had a smile on his face, then back to Cole, who had unshed tears rolling down his cheeks.

Then there was a thunderous applause in the school auditorium. In the next scene, we see Cole holding a tall first-place trophy with a wide smile, while Tommy has a little second-place trophy.

Afterward, Cole and Malcolm talk, and Cole suggests Malcolm talk to his wife when she's asleep. Malcolm, thinking the kid is messing with him, dismisses it.

On their way home, Lynn and Cole are stuck in traffic due to an accident up ahead. Cole sees a dead lady and realizes she died in the accident. He then tells Lynn everything about how he can see ghosts. He explains that the missing pendant was taken by his grandma. He goes on to reveal information from his grandma that nobody else could know.

In a bout of masterful acting, the mother-son duo hug and cry as Lynn finally understands why her son acts up strangely sometimes.

Rod looks down at his watch and realizes that more than 100 minutes have already passed. Now that the conflict has been resolved, what more is there left? Are they just trying to increase Bruce Willis' screen time to establish him as the male lead?

Rod laughed internally at the thought but still kept watching. What happened next made Rod freeze in fright.

Bruce Willis or Malcolm was a ghost all along! He died when he was shot by Vincent, and the reason his wife is ignoring him is because she can't see him! Suddenly it all starts making sense. Oh my God! That's why the kid was crying. "Bring him home!"

What a mindfuck!

Malcolm finally talks to his wife in her sleep and bids her farewell. Yeah, the kid knew it all along.

What a great surprise ending.

The credits rolled down, and Rod couldn't help but be the first one to stand and clap loudly for the cast and crew that made this masterpiece. He was soon joined by his fellow journalists as the reality of the movie dawned upon them. One by one, all of them started standing and clapping for the makers of the movie.

M. Night Shyamalan. That would be a name that would go down in history as one of the great filmmakers of his time. The next big director of this generation is here! And he brought alongside him the next Macaulay Culkin. What a marvelous debut by the director and the male lead.

Despite what anyone would say, Rod didn't consider this film to be a Bruce Willis movie. No, it was a Troy Armitage movie. Bruce Willis should be proud to be a part of this movie, but this is not him in the lead role.

Rod looked around the front to catch sight of the star of the movie. Troy was surrounded by many people congratulating him, from his co-stars Bruce Willis, and Toni Collette, to his parents, who were standing behind him with smiles on their faces.

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