Guy (Gael García Bernal) and Prisca Cappa (Vicky Krieps) have grown apart, but have decided to take one last happy family vacation before telling their children that they are getting a divorce. When they arrive at the beachside resort, awkward 11-year-old daughter Maddox (Alexa Swinton) and precocious 6-year-old son Trent (Nolan River) are eager to get in the ocean. The resort manager (Gustaf Hammarsten) offers to take the family to a secret private beach, which they happily accept. However, they soon discover that the beach may not be as exclusive as they thought. Joining them in their van to the location are cardiothoracic surgeon Charles (Rufus Sewell), his elderly mother Agnes (Kathleen Chalfant) and her dog Gustav, and Charles’ trophy wife Chrystal (Abbey Lee) and their 6-year-old daughter Kara. When they arrive at the beach, they find rapper Mid-Sized Sedan (Aaron Pierre) quietly sitting with a dazed look. And a short time later, they are also joined by nurse Jarin Carmichael (Ken Leung) and his wife Patricia (Nikki Amuka-Bird), a psychologist.
At first things seem quite normal. It’s a beautiful tropical beach and the kids are happily playing together while the adults enjoy the sun and sand. Though the children have unusually strong appetites, quickly going through the large supply of food provided by the resort. However, after a couple hours, this quaint, peaceful beach rapidly becomes a nightmare and a prison. First, a dead body washes ashore, and it’s not clear how she died. The situation quickly makes Charles nervous—he doesn’t trust the rapper, and though he won’t actually say it, it’s mainly due to the color of his skin. The others also start to get a bit uneasy, and want to head back to the resort. However, their phones don’t have any signal to call the driver, and whenever they try to leave the beach, they start to feel sick and black out. They appear to be stuck here, and it looks as though someone is watching them from the hills overlooking the beach.
The adults also notice that their children look quite different from when they arrived. After just a few hours on this beach, Trent (Alex Wolff) and Kara (Eliza Scanlen) appear to be almost 10 years older, while Maddox (Thomasin McKenzie) has also drastically aged. As an insurance actuary, Guy can’t help but constantly compute the odds of of what they’re witnessing, and this just doesn’t make any statistical sense. Prisca curates exhibits for museums and knows a bit about decomposition, and based on the fact that the body of the dead girl has already turned into a skeleton, the group determines that time is behaving differently on this beach—every half-hour here is like a year in real time. If they don’t figure out how to get off this beach soon, they may all die of old age first! As the group tries to figure out what’s going on and come up with a way to leave this beach, endless new challenges and unexpected obstacles come their way, due to both their rapid aging as well as from this mystical location itself. The stress of the situation is really starting to affect some members of the group, turning them against one another, and causing erratic and dangerous behavior. Guy and Prisca must also come together to protect their children. What was supposed to be their final happy vacation has turned out to be their final nightmare instead.
Old is a very uniquely shot film, often feeling more like an ensemble play than a movie. Most scenes find all these characters either all spread out doing their own various activities, or all gathered together on the beach, discussing their fate, trying to figure things out, or formulating their latest plan. In either case, the camera will just pan around the beach in a circle, not necessarily focusing on whomever happens to be speaking—you may just see reactions from others, and hear the speaker behind you. The film seems less concerned with focusing on a particular shot or event, but more on putting the viewer into the middle of the chaos. Even when things are initially calm at first, the same type of camera pans are used. You may hear the audio of others talking and doing things on one side of the beach while the camera is more focused on people on the other. Sometimes it become more about what you are not seeing and just hearing. As the children are growing and changing, the camera will often be focused on others, and just show a small portion of the actors so you don’t yet see the new look of the child until they’ve aged-up to a degree (the children are each played by at least 3-4 different actors).
Once the chaos starts on the beach, it becomes more of a non-stop barrage of unfortunate and deadly events that rapidly come one after another. Though sometimes the escalation gets a bit absurd and over-the-top. At the same time, the film also finds ways to inject some more heartwarming and emotional moments, to make you care about these characters. Even from the start of the film, the filmmakers like to play with this theme of aging. As the movie opens, we see the Cappas traveling to the resort, Maddox is singing and her mother says how she can’t wait to see her daughter perform all grown up. At the same time, Trent is like this man trapped a kid’s body, talking about marriage and mortgages—he already feels overly-mature for his age.
While I really like the idea and premise of this film, and I found the general tension and drama to be quite entertaining, other parts just didn’t quite work for me. Some of the science doesn’t make any sense, and requires suspension of disbelief—though, the film throws in a line to try to write off the science as to why these characters’ hair and fingernails aren’t growing at the same alarming rate as the rest of them. Also, some of the performances/writing didn’t quite work, particularly with the children. Maddox seemed to regress in maturity as she aged, while 6-year-old Kara was worried about missing her prom and graduation—what 6-year-old (even if they look like a 16-year-old) would even think about those things?! Director M. Night Shyamalan also plays the van driver who takes the guests to the beach. While I get he wants to pull a Hitchcock and make appearances in his films, this kind of took me out of the movie a bit as it’s not just a quick silent cameo.
Shyamalan is known for putting big twists in his movies, and this film does have a somewhat satisfying turn at the end. However, it’s more of an “Ah, that’s pretty clever and makes perfect sense” type of explanation rather than one of the big shocking reveals he’s done in his other movies. Overall, I think the film is worth checking out, but I would recommend avoiding the trailer as it pretty much spells out every little plot point. First time viewers will likely enjoy this film a lot more not knowing every detail of what to expect ahead of time. That said, I may have actually enjoyed the film more upon my second viewing.
Universal’s 4K UHD release looks and sounds great. The picture is clean and detailed, and showcases the beauty of this mysterious beach setting. The location not only looks breathtaking in the daytime, but also remains clear and detailed even as things get darker. The audio track provides clear dialogue and makes excellent use of the surround and stereo channels to fully immerse the viewer not only in the sounds of the winds and crashing waves, but also as the camera moves about the action on the beach and people can be heard in different directions. The filmmakers also have some fun with the picture/sound to make the audience experience the effects that the aging has had on some of the characters.
The release includes both a 4K and Blu-ray disc, packed on either side of a standard 4K keepcase placed inside an embossed slipcover, along with an insert containing instructions on how to redeem a 4K digital copy of the film as well as Universal Rewards points. Both discs include the same bonus material—8 minutes of deleted scenes, and over 30 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes.
What’s Included:
Film: (1:48:27)
- 2160p / Widescreen 2.39:1
- HDR10
- Audio: English Dolby Atmos, Spanish Dolby Digital Plus 7.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1
- Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
- 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
- Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English DVS (Descriptive Video Service), Spanish Dolby Digital Plus 7.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1
- Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
- 4K digital copy of the film, redeemable via Movies Anywhere or Vudu
- Universal All-Access Rewards Code (Offer may not be valid after 12/31/2025)
Code can be redeemed for points towards a free digital movie or other items in the Universal All-Access Rewards program. The selection of 5-6 free digital titles usually changes around the first of the month. - Deleted Scenes (8:16)
Collection of 10 short deleted scenes. Play All, or select from:- Cold Open (:49)
The camera pans to the beach where a man screams to a figure lurking on a hill. - Maddox Overlooked (:45)
Kids are playing volleyball on the beach, while Maddox seems upset that one of the boys isn’t paying any attention to her. - Guy and Prisca Have a Moment (:19)
Guy and Prisca sit in silence on the beach. - Spa Options (:30)
Patricia and Jarin get their welcome drinks. - Tent’s Trunks (1:09)
Guy notices that Trent’s bathing suit looks a little too small for him. - Mirror Mirror (:40)
Chrystal looks at her wrinkles in the mirror and starts crying. - Despair (:56)
Guy wants to just risk it and head into the ocean; Chrystal puts on make-up while looking in the mirror and talking to herself. - Maybe They’re On Their Way? (1:01)
Trent sees a man on a hill overlooking the beach and the group thinks it’s someone coming to rescue them. - Patricia’s Loss (1:33)
Patricia cries over Jarin’s body after it washes ashore. - Birthday Party (:43)
The staff celebrate a birthday inside the lab.
- Cold Open (:49)
- Shyamalan Family Business (8:05)
The director talks about how the film’s theme of seeing your family grow up too fast hits close to home as his own daughters were involved in making the film—Ishana as a second unit director and Seleka writing a song for the movie. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/writer/producer M. Night Shyamalan, 2nd unit director Ishana Night Shyamalan and singer/songwriter Saleka Night Shyamalan. - All the Beach Is a Stage (9:37)
The director and actors talk about the challenges, freedoms and trust involved in shooting in a wide open space like the beach, where it’s more like a theater without any confinements or coverage shots. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/writer/producer M. Night Shyamalan, 2nd unit director Ishana Night Shyamalan, and stars Gael García Bernal (“Guy”), Abbey Lee (“Chrystal”), Kathleen Chalfant (“Agnes”), Emun Elliott (“Adult Trent”), Embeth Davidtz (“Adult Maddox”), Thomasin McKenzie (“Maddox Aged 16”), Alex Wolff (“Trent Aged 15”) & Rufus Sewell (“Charles”). - Nightmares in Paradise (7:27)
The filmmakers discuss the process of finding the perfect shooting locations for the film in the Dominican Republic, building the wall, and the challenges of hurricanes, COVID restrictions, and stray dogs on set. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/writer/ producer M. Night Shyamalan, producer Marc Bienstock, production designer Naaman Marshall, 2nd unit director Ishana Night Shyamalan, on-set dresser Ico Abreu & trash picker Vira Latas. - A Family in the Moment (6:18)
The cast and filmmakers talk about filming the emotional final family scene. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with stars Thomasin McKenzie, Vicky Krieps, Alex Wolff & Gael Garcia Bernal, director/writer/producer M. Night Shyamalan, and 2nd unit director Ishana Night Shyamalan.
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4K Ultra HD:
Blu-ray:
Digital (code may not be valid after 12/31/2022):
Extras:
Play All, or select from:
Final Thoughts:
Old is an entertaining thriller with a clever premise. While the film may not completely work all the time, it is a fun ride (even when it gets a bit over-the-top and absurd by the end). It is cleverly shot, and Universal’s 4K release provides excellent picture and sound that really bring this beautiful location and the chaos of the situation to life. The release includes some interesting bonus material that gives some insight into the process and challenges of making the film. While maybe not as twisty as some of M. Night Shyamalan’s other movies, I still found its final reveal at the end to be satisfying. The release comes recommended, but avoid the trailer if possible as it gives way too much away.
