Old Review: 5 Ups & 5 Downs
4. The Totally Inconsistent Performances
Shyamalan's movies generally attract talented ensemble casts, and Old is certainly no different, but despite this the quality of the work on offer is completely all over the place.
As central married couple Guy and Prisca, the talented Gael García Bernal and Vicky Krieps are surprisingly wooden, struggling their way through Shyamalan's rickety dialogue and often failing to make full sense of it.
The usually-brilliant Thomasin McKenzie also doesn't quite convince as an 11-year-old girl in a 16-year-old's body - her alterations to her mannerisms and voice come off more silly and inconsistent than actually believable. It's a tough ask of a young actor, for sure, but she doesn't quite nail it.
And let's not forget that Shyamalan himself also makes an absurdly invasive cameo appearance, playing a character who, in one ridiculous moment, literally looks right at the audience.