Line #27 Film/LadyintheWater


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16	[[quoteright:288:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lady-in-the-water-poster.jpg]]
17	[[caption-width-right:288:''[[{{Tagline}} Time is running out for a happy ending.]]'']]
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19	''Lady in the Water'' is a 2006 fantasy thriller film written and directed by Creator/MNightShyamalan, starring Creator/PaulGiamatti and Creator/BryceDallasHoward.
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21	Essentially marketed as a "grown-up bedtime story," the film is about a UsefulNotes/{{Philadelphia}} apartment building superintendent named Cleveland (Giamatti) who discovers a magical sea nymph named Story (Howard) who's been transported to this world and is living in the building's swimming pool.
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23	As this bizarre revelation sinks in, Cleveland becomes enraptured by her otherworldly charm. As he shelters her in his apartment, other inhabitants of the building begin falling into place as representations of characters from an Eastern myth in which these merpeople, or "Narfs," coexist unhappily with more bestial and violent characters.
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25	In human reality, the forces of darkness that threaten the heroes of a fairy tale prove to be much more terrifying, and the victory of good over evil is by no means guaranteed. Creator/JeffreyWright, Creator/JaredHarris, and Creator/MaryBethHurt co-star, as well as Shyamalan himself, playing [[AuthorAvatar the visionary writer Vick]].
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27	The film was notably subject to [[TroubledProduction difficulties in production]], as studio executives at [[Creator/{{Disney}} Walt Disney Studios]], who had released Shyamalan's previous four films (''Film/TheSixthSense'', ''Film/{{Unbreakable}}'', ''Film/{{Signs}}'', and ''[[Film/TheVillage2004 The Village]]''), did not understand or have faith in the film's story. This upset Shyamalan to the point of claiming that Disney "no longer valued individualism." Although Disney was willing to fund the film regardless, he instead took the film to Creator/WarnerBros, who agreed to finance it. The events that led to the making of the film were featured in a book, ''The Man Who Heard Voices: Or, How M. Night Shyamalan Risked His Career on a Fairy Tale'', by Michael Bamberger.
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29	!!''Lady in the Water'' contains examples of:
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31	* ThirteenIsUnlucky: [[spoiler:Mr. Farber, the critic who lives in apartment 13B]] dies when [[spoiler: the Scrunt corners him alone while everybody else is at a party.]]
32	%%* AlmightyJanitor: Cleveland, to an extent.
33	* AndManGrewProud: Humans used to live in harmony with the people of the water, who provided humanity with wisdom and guidance. Over time, however, humans' need to control and dominate drove them further and further inland, away from the guidance of the water people and into a destructive history of warfare, ignorance and ruin.
34	* AsianAirhead: Young-Soon Choi, the none-too-stellar Korean student who isn't thrilled by having to read for school. ("What, they think I have no social life?")
35	* AuthorAvatar: Vick is a visionary writer played by Shyamalan himself, with his primary antagonist being a StrawCritic.
36	* BaitAndSwitch: Everyone for Story's team. [[spoiler:Cleveland is the Healer, [[DeusExMachina Reggie]] is the Guardian, the Guild comprises the [[RuleOfSeven seven]] women from the other apartment, and Joey Dury turns out to be the Interpreter, whereas his father was presumed to be the Interpreter.]]
37	* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: All in one character, no less. Story's hair is black the first time we get a glimpse of her, red from then on and most of the film, and blonde from the climax onward.
38	* CantArgueWithElves: The film presents the Narfs as wiser and more morally upstanding than humans, and humans war among themselves apparently by not listening to them.
39	* ChekhovsGunman: Literally every early background character becomes crucial to the plot later. Reggie foreshadows his role when he talks about how [[spoiler:he's doing his "exercise experiments" because he wants to do something special]]. He's also watching in the background of a lot of crowd scenes. [[spoiler:Y'know, like a watchman, or a ''guardian'', maybe?]]
40	* TheChosenMany: If Story is to recover from the Scrunt's initial attack and return home, a special ritual must be performed which will heal her and summon the Great Eatlon, a massive eagle that will take her back to the Blue World. The ritual requires several specially chosen individuals: a Healer, a Symbolist, a Guild, and a Guardian. Story assumes that Heep, who initially saved her from the Scrunt, is her Guardian; Heep in turn asks Farber the film critic to fill the other roles, and he names the KindheartedCatLover Mrs. Bell as the Healer, a group of [[TheStoner pot smokers]] as the Guild, and the crossword-loving Mr. Dury as the Symbolist. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, every choice is wrong. The ''true'' Chosen Many are as follows: Dury's young son, who makes up stories based on cereal boxes, is the Symbolist; a group of [[RuleOfSeven seven]] women (mostly sisters) from a neighboring apartment building is the Guild; a TopHeavyGuy named Reggie is the Guardian; and Heep himself, a disgraced former doctor, is the Healer. Mrs. Bell also takes on a kind of shamanic role by leading the group in the spell. Once the Chosen Many know and complete their duties, the ritual is complete and Story escapes to safety.]]
41	* ColorMotif: Like in ''Film/TheVillage2004'', Story's red hair turning blonde symbolizes safety.
42	* CreatorCameo: Shyamalan does this in all his films. This is the first time he plays a major character. But just what his character will do -- [[spoiler:namely, inspire a great world leader with his writing]] -- ticked a lot of people off [[SmallNameBigEgo for obvious reasons]].
43	* DeathByGenreSavviness: [[spoiler:Mr. Farber]], whose demise is a thinly veiled TakeThat against people who don't like Shyamalan's movies.
44	* FieryRedhead: An InvertedTrope with Story, who is quite mild-mannered, if not outright timid, despite having gorgeous red hair.
45	%%* FishOutOfWater: Story, literally, since she's a Narf.
46	* {{Foreshadowing}}: Early in the film, Cleveland tells Story that he was once a doctor. [[spoiler:In other words, a Healer.]]
47	* FriendToAllLivingThings: The identifying mark of the Healer is attracting butterflies.
48	* GenreSavvy: A main plot point is the characters discovering that they are in a fairy tale, but [[spoiler:they start [[WrongGenreSavvy acting out the wrong roles]]]].
49	%%* GiantFlyer: The Great Eatlon.
50	* InnocentFanserviceGirl: Because Narfs' ideas about nudity differ from humans', Story doesn't see the problem with SkinnyDipping in the Cove's pool at night, someone seeing her wearing (only) a man's shirt, or greeting Cleveland while she's completely naked and taking a shower.
51	* InsufferableGenius: Farber is a world-weary film critic who soon finds his new neighbors shunning him.
52	%%* ItsBeenDone: The film provides the page quote. As Mr. Farber puts it:
53	%%-->"There is no originality left in the world, Mr. Heep. That is a sad fact I've come to live with."
54	* LampshadeHanging: Mr. Farber points out tropes because he does that for a living, in his reviews.
55	%%* ManiacMonkeys: The Tartutic.
56	* MeaningfulName: Story has come to "awaken" a story in someone.
57	%%* MetaTwist: In the context of Shyamalan's previous films.
58	* MsFanservice: Young-Soon Choi. She's introduced with a shot that focuses on her midriff rather than her face, and is frequently seen in skimpy outfits.
59	** Story herself is an InnocentFanserviceGirl, due to not understanding human customs; she first appears NakedOnArrival (in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment) while she lives in the Cove's pool, and she later greets Cleveland as she steps out of the shower...without any clothes on.
60	* MysteriousWaif: Story is a mysterious otherworldly woman who shows up in the Cove's pool.
61	* {{Narrator}}: For the prologue, voiced by an uncredited Creator/DavidOgdenStiers.
62	* NeverTrustATrailer: This was marketed as a horror movie, but the first teaser made it look almost like a mystical romance.
63	* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: Story is very close to Cleveland. The first scene with the Scrunt shows her cuddling up to him beforehand.
64	* NotWhatItLooksLike: Anna assumes Cleveland and Story are up to no good when she and Vick see Story wearing nothing but Cleveland's shirt.
65	* OurMermaidsAreDifferent: Narfs are sea nymphs who exist to "awaken" people and get carried away by [[GiantFlyer giant eagles]].
66	%%* PleasePutSomeClothesOn: Hence why Cleveland gives Story his shirt. Repeated later on when Story greets him while she's showering.
67	* PowerDyesYourHair: A magic healing ritual turns Story's ginger hair blonde.
68	* RedemptionInTheRain: [[spoiler:Cleveland]] makes up for [[spoiler:the death of his wife and child by helping usher Story to safety]].
69	* RuleOfSeven: [[spoiler: The Guild -- one of the groups required for Story's healing ritual -- consists of seven women from the neighboring apartment building.]]
70	%%* SavageWolves: The Scrunts.
71	* SavingTheWorldWithArt: The protagonist must save a writer whose work will cause world peace and harmony.
72	* ScareChord: Used here and there to play with the audience, mostly relying on Shyamalan's reputation as a director of horrors and thrillers.
73	* SelfMadeOrphan: The Tartutic are described as being so evil, they killed their parents as soon as they were born. ([[FridgeLogic One wonders]] [[Headscratchers/HomePage how the species survives]], if they're that uncooperative.)[[invoked]]
74	%%* SexyShirtSwitch
75	%%* ShrinkingViolet: Story has a timid nature.
76	* TheStoner: Cleveland originally thinks five of them who live together are supposed to be the Guild.
77	* StrawCritic: Harry Farber exists to give the "no originality" spiel and [[spoiler:get killed]] because he thinks he's SeenItAll. (However, Creator/RogerEbert noted in his review that the critic is proven to be ''right'', and Heep misinterpreted everything.)
78	* TakeThatCritics: The critic, who[[spoiler:se demise]] is a thinly veiled TakeThat against people who don't like Shyamalan's movies. This ''badly'' backfired on Shyamalan, for obvious reasons. Creator/MarkKermode, for example, pointed out in his review that the critics had championed his films in the first place, a fact which made Shyamalan come across as an UngratefulBastard.
79	* UncannyValley: Story is a very beautiful, almost ethereal being. Though sometimes, either by the slow changing of her hair color, her incredibly deep glassy innocent eyes, or pale skin, something seems to always look...off about her. The film poster features her giant face against water and she somewhat looks like an alien.
80	* WaterIsWomanly: The title is evocative of this trope and refers to Story, a shy, demure water nymph.
81	%%* WriterOnBoard
82	* WrongGenreSavvy: Once the characters catch on to the fact that they're in a fairy tale, they assume they know the roles they should play. They're wrong.

Context Film / LadyintheWater