1999: The Sixth Sense
Nominees:
- American Beauty (actual winner)
- The Cider House Rules
- The Green Mile
- The Insider
- The Sixth Sense
It’s easy for modern audiences to downplay the incredible sleight of hand performed by M. Night Shyamalan in The Sixth Sense akin to the same way we might mock the beauty of a plastic bag caught in the wind. When things become part of the zeitgeist, we tend to take them for granted.
Unless you go in completely cold, it’s hard to grasp how hard the final moments of The Sixth Sense. However, don’t let that fool you into thinking the film is a one-trick pony. Even if you know the twist, it’s still a haunting, beautiful ghost story buttressed by one of the best performances by a child actor put on film. It’s also a quiet, understated turn from Bruce Willis. What an incredible freshman offering from director M. Night Shyamalan that would set the standard for the rest of his career, for better or worse.
Image Source: Getty Images