You can't watch The Sixth Sense, nominated for Best Picture of 1999, the same way the second time that you did the first time. Once you know the "twist," it's impossible to be as surprised as you were the first time you saw it (unless, of course, someone ruined the surprise for you, and if they did, shame on them). However, I have to say that I actually admired the film much more this second time. I appreciated more just how carefully and artfully constructed it is. Because I knew the ending, I could concentrate more on how the film was put together. And it's quite a marvel to behold, a triumph of editing.
Bruce Willis plays a child psychologist, Malcolm Crowe, who's been feeling out of sorts since he and his wife encountered a very unhappy former patient of his (Donnie Wahlberg, in a surprising cameo appearance). Crowe is shot by Wahlberg's Vincent and, after the passage of some time, attempts to overcome what he considers his failure to help his patients by working with clients again. He takes on the case of Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment), a young boy whose parents have divorced and who has been "acting out" in school.
After Cole reveals to Malcolm that he "sees dead people" (a line that has become such a cliche by now), the good doctor starts devoting tremendous amounts of time to helping his new patient, neglecting to spend as much time with his wife although he slowly begins to realize that he should (cue the new "boyfriend"). Cole's mom, played by Toni Collette, is similarly frustrated when she fails to see any progress in her son's odd behavior. As fiercely as she protects him at times, she also finds him to be a tremendous puzzle.
Obviously, there's a lot going on in this film about redemption and doing the right thing and attempting to expiate one's guilt. I can't reveal a great deal more without giving away some key elements of the plot that should truly remain a surprise (although this film is almost ten years old now--shame on you for having missed it so far). Let's just say that you become increasingly more accustomed to the idea that Cole does, indeed, see dead people, those who have unresolved issues that need attention. And this "talent" or "gift" or "curse"--whatever you'd like to call it--leads to a pretty surprising revelation or two.
I want to mention just how good Osment is in this movie. He was just 10 years old when he made this film, but he is shockingly authentic. He portrays a very troubled young boy with accuracy and deep emotion. It's tough to watch him in the part now and not worry about whether or not he understood too much of what this movie is about. I'd prefer to think that he was somewhat unaware of at least some of the more gruesome details, but even if he were, he handles them in such a quiet, mature way that you can easily see why his performance was Oscar-nominated. (Of course, they put him in the Supporting Actor category, but he is as much a lead as Willis is in the film.)
I'd also like to point out the editing. What the filmmakers do here is cut away, sometimes even fading to black, just before a scene can reveal "too much." You won't notice it the first time you watch The Sixth Sense, but this second time I couldn't help but realize just how carefully the various moments of this movie are cut apart and put together. I don't usually "rave" about a film's editing (although some certainly deserve it), but this is very thoughtful work. There's a consistent tension in the film because just as you could or might learn some detail that would change your perception and perhaps prepare you for the surprises to come, you cut away to a different moment. I suppose some might consider the editing style to be somewhat manipulative, but even if it is, it's incredibly effective as well.
If you're feeling up for a bit of a game, you might also spend some time tracking the use of the color red throughout the film. It's there all the way through. I don't think I've seen this color used more effectively since the Kryzysztof Kieslowski's film of the same name (Red, not The Sixth Sense). It's obviously used metaphorically here too, so see if you can figure it out as you go or if you have to think about it retroactively as I did.
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