M. Night Shyamalan rose to fame after writing and directing the 1992 film The Sixth Sense, which starred Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment. The protected (2000), Signals (2002) and After Earth (2013). Now, he is making his debut on Apple TV+ streaming directing the thriller ‘Servant’, the story of a couple who, after the loss of their baby, ‘raises’ a doll with the help of a strange nanny. M. Night Shyamalan spoke via Zoom with several media outlets, including La República, about his work in the cinema and the series that premieres its third season this Friday.
What are the main changes that we will see in the new season of ‘Servant’?
It is the best season for many reasons: it is very visceral, very physical, it becomes openly corporeal and it begins to enter fully into the genre. It is an exciting and shocking transformation.
Demonic personifications can be seen in the series…
All of these bugs are definitely manifestations of something that has to be there, not so much of a Bible story. They are invading the house and creating this strange feeling. It’s like an infestation feeling and we want to play with that.
Servant tackles the supernatural, but also the religious factor. Since when your fascination with this? To what extent is religion involved with your work?
I have grown up with a lot of religion, my parents were Hindu, my grandmother and my whole family is very religious. I grew up praying, with ashes on my face and rituals. Then I went to a Catholic school. So it was: religion, religion and religion in all forms, hearing stories from both sides, about the Hindu religion and also about Jesus and Mary. I built my own value system, and that has affected the way I tell stories, there is spirituality incorporated there. Really, I think there is an element of fear in the whole religion, in the series as well. ‘Servant’ is a dialogue between religion and cults, and I am fascinated by this.
Are you a believer?
I am a great believer, but not in religion, but in energy. The energy we give comes back. I believe a lot in that which is reflected in the world. I think that all these religious beliefs are created so that we find something our way, it’s like a tribal training of things and I find it interesting. There is a fluid movement between religion and the supernatural in the series, the story and what I believe. And I accept it because I’ve grown up with it.
In the last five years we have seen the incursion of more women making horror and suspense films. What is your opinion of this?
I have contacted a lot of directors because their points of view interest me, their storytelling is unique, I find them interesting and different. They explore our power, our fear and sensuality. Maybe because I’m an immigrant making movies in Hollywood, I’ve always felt like an outsider, an outcast, I never felt like I was part of the system. I felt that I had to make my own way, that I was going to have a lot of resistance. So, their voices resonate with me because of that. The same thing happens to them, they look for their own way to push themselves in the system. I’m very drawn to their voices, that’s why there are so many female directors that I find amazing. I really think the genre gives them a great opportunity. What also appeals to me is that they are able to see this wobble of humanity and what this particular genre requires in a way that is pleasing to me.
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