My observations on Signs (spoilers)

[Calhoun07]

I am making a new thread for this instead of continuing on the talkback thread since it's clear the talk back thread for this movie is dead and I wanted to go more indepth into the movie.

If you have seen Signs, you probably get the feeling that there is more going on in this movie than meets the eye. The movie has come under quite a bit of criticism by M Night’s haters, with people saying the movie is full of plot holes and inconsistencies. I beg to differ. I feel M Night has created a movie worthy to be watched several times, a movie that is deep and thoughtful and full of meaning and symbolism that can be appreciated greater upon repeat viewings.

I’ve seen the movie about six times myself already, and while there are some points I am still trying to figure out, I have made some observations that I feel have helped me understand the movie better.

First is the all important opening shot. We see a camera pull back looking through distorted glass. The first thought I had when I saw the movie was, “Wow, that house has been there quite a while.” And clearly distorted glass surely points to the age of the house, but I think that it’s no coincidence that M. Night chooses the distorted glass as his first shot. It goes from the distorted glass over looking the yard in which there are several things that represent Graham’s family to a close up of a photo of Graham’s family. This could point to that some how Graham’s vision concerning his family is some how distorted, in a spiritual way. Also, Graham wakes up, the first of many times he wakes up in the movie.

We soon find the kids in the corn field where they discovered the first “sign.” In this movie, the signs clearly represent the signs God gives us in our lives that He’s in control, that not all is coincidence. The kids are able to navigate through the corn field rather easily to find the sign, but Graham seems lost as he runs through the corn field. This is symbolic of how he’s lost in his own personal corn field groping in search of his own personal “signs.”

It’s also early in the movie that we see Morgan, the son, is a type of Graham and reflects Graham in his current walk with God. Morgan is how Graham should be, seeing God’s hand work in the signs, and trusting that God is in control.

The dogs are also a curious presence at this point. They are barking and acting irrationally. They are affected by the presence of the “aliens.” More on this later.

We also see early on Bo’s aversion to water and also more of the how the aliens seem to have affected the dogs. When Bo feels the water is contaminated, the give the water to Houdini, but Houdini growls and attacks Bo, acting violent and defensive. The sheriff talked about how local animals have been acting violent and peeing suddenly when predators are around. Some how, and this is one of the points I have yet to really figure out, the dogs sense the predators when they are presented with water. What exactly this means, I’ve yet to really figure out. But they have a violent reaction to it, and it takes killing Houdini to stop him from killing Bo.

When Graham is in the corn field, he says that he “cannot hear his children.” This again points to his relationship with God. While Graham is lost looking for signs, his communication with God is not present, and in his heart he has yet to learn how to forgive God for what happened, and the Bible talks about how God does not hear those who have unforgiveness in their hearts.

I also feel that aliens are present early on in the movie. Inside the house, Isabel urinates on the floor. This is something animals around the county have been doing in the presence of the “predators.” I think the dog was responding some how to an alien inside the house. The idea of the alien inside the house early on in the movie is cemented when Bo wakes up Graham and says, “There’s a monster outside my room, can I have a glass of water.” The monster is outside her room, not outside the window, which suggests she saw him outside her door. The alien is in the house at that point. And her requesting water suggests even further that she has some kind of knowledge that water is poison to them, though I am not sure if she is fully aware of this fact yet.

Bo watching the cartoon is also a scene where we see she has this thing about water, leaving it all over the house. It foreshadows the ending, and her precognition that this water will be important some how. She doesn’t even realize why she is leaving the water all over the house; she has every excuse under the sun why she is doing it.

And speaking of the TV program, this may not be quite as intentional, but she’s watching Dexter’s Laboratory. She’s watching Cartoon Network. I don’t know if we are supposed to know that, or if M Night deliberately put that in there, but the point behind that observation is when she tells Graham and the others the same show is on every channel. It turns out to be a TV show (it doesn’t even look like a news story, even though it does say “breaking news” on the screen. It feels more like a Discovery Channel program.) First off, Bo says the same thing is on every channel. Even when the 9/11 disaster was going on, not every channel had coverage, as Cartoon Network continued to show cartoons (my point behind her watching Cartoon Network, they don’t interrupt programming for things like this) and I cannot buy that every channel on TV would interrupt programming to talk about an often scoffed phenomenon as “breaking news.” And this mess is on EVERY CHANNEL? That suggests a dream to me, as in dreams you can see things like the same thing on every TV channel and the same thing being talked about on all radio channels. Or it could refer back to Graham’s distorted view of his reality.

This is also when we first actually see that the aliens are in contact with us, and we see Morgan’s first use of his inhaler. I noticed that he only uses his inhaler when aliens are in contact with us, another point I am sure M Night made quite intentional.

The “news” report continues on TV and radio through out the entire movie, even before the invasion. Seriously, it’s not that big. Crop circles never get media attention like that. This is distorted reality, much like looking through the distorted window.

Another interesting detail that suggests the movie is a dream or distorted reality some how is the book on extra terrestrials at that book store. There is only one book in the shop on the subject that they just got in (no coincidences, remember) and it turns out to have a mysterious painting of Graham’s farm house being attacked by a UFO and him and his kids dead outside. It’s just too strange, and could point to the distorted view of reality in this movie.

Something in the army recruitment office strikes me as odd. First, the military man is very stereotypical, almost like you would imagine one in a dream. There is one more dream like element in this scene, and that’s the sudden appearance of Lionel (I assume this is the same Lionel that Graham thinks is behind the crop circles). Lionel seems to appear out of nowhere and it hardly fazes Merrill. He just turns around and says, “Hello, Lionel.” Lionel apparently has been there long enough to come in, get an enrollment form, go to a table and start filling it out. He didn’t just walk in when we weren’t looking, yet Merrill never saw him before he started talking, thus the “Hello, Lionel” line. Why wouldn’t he have seen Lionel and greeted him when he came in? I guess one could argue because he suspected Lionel was responsible for the crop circles and brushed him off, but he just seemed to suddenly be…there. In dreams, people often appear out of nowhere and we don’t question it, the fact that they are just there doesn’t faze us one bit, and Merrill isn’t fazed at all here.

Morgan again shows us that he’s in tune to the spiritual more than the rest of his family when he’s the first one to recognize the alien talk on the baby monitor. Bo is also in tune to the spiritual but I notice that Morgan is the first to latch on to these things and believe in them. I also noticed that it wasn’t until the family linked together that the transmission was the clearest. This points to the fact that this family is a spiritual one and they work the best when they work together.

That night, Graham goes out to give Isabel water. Isabel is barking her fool head off at the field again and even gets violent and goes to attack Graham when he goes to give her the water. This is the second reference to the dogs’ aversion to water, which I still don’t understand.

In the cornfield, I get the feeling that these aren’t aliens, but demons. The cornfield is representing of Graham and how lost he feels in his walk with God at this point, and it’s here that Graham sees the alien for the first time. I think it’s actually his demons he’s fighting in the movie, and he’s afraid to confront them. Thus the reason he retreats when he first sees one. He’s been running from his own personal demons since he lost his wife, and the “aliens” are present in this movie where Graham struggles the most-in the house that serves as a daily reminder of his loss, in the field that represents his how lost he is at this point, and in Ray Reddy’s home. Graham is struggling with his demons concerning Ray, which is why I think he had such a close confrontation with one in Ray’s house.

The line “Everything people have written about in science books is going to change” is also curious. Spoken by Morgan first, it’s heard a short time later on TV. This could also be a dream element. And as the footage of the alien ships over Mexico Morgan uses his inhaler again, when the aliens are once more making contact with us.

Another swaying argument that the reality in this movie is not as it seems, and may even be a dream, is when Merrill says that it’s “War of the Worlds.” That is no small clue from M Night there. We are supposed to take heed of that statement.

And speaking of the dream idea, Graham keeps waking up all through the movie. It’s like he’s trying to wake up from a bad dream, but cannot bring himself to do so. Things around him keep on telling him it’s not real, but he can’t shake himself from it. Things tell him like Bo, who keeps on saying that things she’s seeing are a dream and also keeps talking about how she keeps seeing bad things in her dream that will happen to her brother, and also the War of the Worlds comment is meant to tell Graham that this reality isn’t what it seems.

After looking at the book on aliens, and seeing the mysterious painting, Graham gets a phone call from Ray Reddy. Suddenly the phone dies, and the camera pans back and you hear an alien scurrying out of the room, perhaps out of the house. Pull back further and you see the dress of Graham’s wife. This links the death of his wife, the memory of his loss, and the reminders in the house and the reason she died to the alien/demons he’s also fighting with. The alien/demon is also responsible for severing the phone call.

I also find it curious that Ray Reddy had a confrontation with one of the demons, a clearly physical confrontation, as evidenced by the state of the house after he leaves, and also the fact that he captured one of the alien/demons in the pantry. Ray is clearly fighting his own demons since the accident.

Ray Reddy leaves for the lake, realizing the aliens aren’t fond of water. I find it curious that when Graham asks his family if they should go to the lake or stay, Bo votes for the lake, again pointing to her knowledge that she knows water is poison to the aliens. I also find it interesting that the reason the kids ultimately vote to stay at the house is because that’s where they grew up with Mom. It strikes me that the kids are more willing to stand up and face the demons, and to stay in the house that serves as a daily reminder to what they lost, but Graham in his distorted view wants to leave the house that reminds him daily of his loss and how he lost his faith. If you pay attention to the walls in the house, you will see places on the wall where crosses hung but are no longer there, you can see where they used to hang on the paint as the paint where the crosses used to hang is more faded. Graham wants to leave this instead of staying there and fighting his own demons.

There is also a scene where Merrill can hear the aliens in the field, and throws the rock, I think to see if it his anything invisible the way the bird hit the invisible ship over Mexico City. I found that interesting as we’ve seen evidence the aliens have been in the house at least three times, and they appear to be out hiding in the field. The demons are there waiting, and tormenting Graham, and I wonder if perhaps the distorted view Graham and his family, and perhaps the town, has on reality isn’t some how influenced by the aliens/demons. The aliens/demons demonstrated how they were able to distort the minds of the dogs, making them attack when they got served water.

The “Last Supper” scene is also quite interesting, and could also support the dream, but it would be a weak argument, and that is that they just happen to have all this food in the house at once, whatever they want in the drop of a hat. I don’t think so; it’s odd as well as some of the other scenes in the movie. But apart from that, we see further development of the idea that Morgan represents Graham and his relationship with God. At this point, Morgan hates Graham for allowing his mother to die, and Graham hates God for the exact same reason. Bo again also talks about this being a dream in this scene.

I also find the stories behind the kids’ birth quite curious, and certainly M Night put a lot of meaning into them. Bo didn’t cry, people gasped when they saw her eyes, and she was angelic and smiled something babies cannot do. There was purity in her birth; perhaps she represents an angel to Graham in response to the demons that are tormenting his family? Morgan, on the other hand, was delivered with great pain. His mother kept on bleeding and later we learn that she had dreamed about him her whole life, and he was just as she had dreamed. I think it’s more than curious that both Colleen (Graham’s wife) and Bo have dreams about Morgan. This is yet another point I am not sure if I have quite grasped yet. Nor have I quite figured out what it means when Colleen kept on bleeding after giving birth to Morgan? Does this suggest the pain Graham would later cause the Church (the bride of Christ) when he decided to leave? I don’t know.

When they retreat to the basement, the aliens/demons try the door and Graham says, “I’m not ready yet.” He’s still reluctant to face his own demons.

Morgan has his final asthma attack in the movie when an alien/demon tries to make contact with him, consistent with his other asthma attacks that came when he witnessed the alien/demons come in contact with people in some way. Bo again refers to her dreams, that she saw all of this in a dream, which suggests that this reality is not what it seems, that there is more than meets the eye. Also, notice how Graham holds Morgan to his chest and tries to get Morgan to breathe like he breathes. I believe this is symbolic of Graham and how he lost touch with God and how he needs God’s breath in his life again. We also witness Graham still in conflict with God at this point.

While Morgan is having an asthma attack, is that Merrill over there with Bo praying? I believe so. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that as Merrill prays Morgan’s asthma attacks subsides somewhat, and the presence of the aliens seems to subside. I believe that as Merrill is praying, he’s warring off the demons, and that’s one reason Morgan is able to breathe at a more normal rate. And perhaps what is discovered in the three cities in the Middle East to defeat the aliens was prayer? That area is known for its Holy Cities.

Another very dream like element in all of this is that Bo is no where to be seen downstairs the morning after the attack. Like Lionel in the army recruitment office, she just is suddenly somewhere else, and nobody questions how or why. As Graham and Merrill leave the basement, you can hear the TV on in the background. They didn’t have the TV on when they went down, and I am sure the aliens/demons didn’t kick back and grab a brewski and catch the game before they got out of there, and the next thing you see is Bo upstairs with the TV on. WTH?? How did she get up there? Why isn’t Graham asking serious questions of why she left the basement before they knew it was clear or at least thought it was clear? It’s like Lionel in the army recruitment office, she’s just suddenly there and nobody seems to question why. It’s another odd scene.

Morgan, representative of Graham and his struggle with God in the movie, is the one who is grabbed by the alien/demon. I think the alien/demon chose Morgan because of how close he is to Graham, and may have left Bo alone because she is a type of angel.

I also want to point out at this time that the flashbacks to the accident always happened as a “dream.” If this movie was a dream from which Graham could not wake up, it makes sense that the two dreams he’s having merge together there at the end.

God saves Morgan from dying, and Morgan is able to breathe normally once again. At the same time, God touches Graham and he can see God’s signs clearly for the first time in the movie, and is symbolically touched with the breath of God. The final pan shot goes through the same window we saw at the beginning, only this time the distorted glass is gone, and Graham’s vision or perception of reality is no longer distorted, and he’s able to return to work.

[spectre316]

Oh my lord Calhoun. What an incredibly large post you've made.
I personally loved the movie, and thus am more than willing to reply to your lengthy comments.

Something in the army recruitment office strikes me as odd. First, the military man is very stereotypical, almost like you would imagine one in a dream.

I personally thought Night was making humor out of the guy. His personality completely contrasted with the rest of the film; his robot like movements, his snappy dialouge -- it just seemed so out of the place that I thought it was intended as comedy. Although the film already has some moments of comic relief, I'm guessing some people behind the film thought there was more to be had, since it is a pretty dark film.

I also want to point out at this time that the flashbacks to the accident always happened as a “dream.” If this movie was a dream from which Graham could not wake up, it makes sense that the two dreams he’s having merge together there at the end.

Very good point. This is entirely possible, as somethings do indeed reaccure and pop up out of nowhere.

The idea of the alien inside the house early on in the movie is cemented when Bo wakes up Graham and says, “There’s a monster outside my room, can I have a glass of water.” The monster is outside her room, not outside the window, which suggests she saw him outside her door. The alien is in the house at that point. And her requesting water suggests even further that she has some kind of knowledge that water is poison to them, though I am not sure if she is fully aware of this fact yet.

Although it goes against the dream idea, I'm taking a more realistic approach on this scene and just going for the idea that she's a simple kid who's scared of "what's under the bed" or "in the closet" and stuff like that. Although it works -- water and aliens don't mix -- I don't think Night had the dream element in mind when writing this film. I could be eating my own words, but I dunno.

What I liked about this movie is that it appeared to not have something really weird happen in the end, thus causing us to rethink the entire plot in our minds like "The Sixth Sense," "Unbreakable," or "Fight Club." It's kind of a tired gimmick. Maybe he thought that himself. It could just very well be about the end of the world and aliens, and not something else.

[Calhoun07]

Originally posted by spectre316

Although it goes against the dream idea, I'm taking a more realistic approach on this scene and just going for the idea that she's a simple kid who's scared of "what's under the bed" or "in the closet" and stuff like that. Although it works -- water and aliens don't mix -- I don't think Night had the dream element in mind when writing this film. I could be eating my own words, but I dunno.

What I liked about this movie is that it appeared to not have something really weird happen in the end, thus causing us to rethink the entire plot in our minds like "The Sixth Sense," "Unbreakable," or "Fight Club." It's kind of a tired gimmick. Maybe he thought that himself. It could just very well be about the end of the world and aliens, and not something else.

The line about the monster outside the room, can I have a glass of water is not just a normal kid thing. The monster was outside the room, and Graham saw it on the roof outside the window. And in a movie where water plays such an important place in the end, all references to water must be paid attention to in the movie. It's like the use of red in Sixth Sense, these things are not by mistake.

Maybe M Night didn't have a dream element in mind, but I think with the War of the Worlds clue and others given in the movie, we are to realize the reality in what we see going on isn't the exact reality of what's going on, if that makes sense.

As for the twist endings, M Night has admitted that those are getting old and is going to stay away from them from now on.

[spectre316]

Originally posted by Calhoun07
It's like the use of red in Sixth Sense, these things are not by mistake.

I'm kind of eating my words now.

Any reference to water must be important. Even if the guy didn't want a trick ending, he still made two movies with trick endings and tricks galore; so there must of been some "tricks" and such played out throughout the movie.

[Calhoun07]

Originally posted by spectre316


I'm kind of eating my words now.

Any reference to water must be important. Even if the guy didn't want a trick ending, he still made two movies with trick endings and tricks galore; so there must of been some "tricks" and such played out throughout the movie.

Another "trick" he admits to using in Signs is the colors of lavendar and something else, the colors you see on the dress when the phone call gets cut off. I am not sure all the places the colors appear in the movie and what it's supposed to mean, but surely it would give more clues to what the things in the movie mean.