For those of a conservative cast of mind, few Hollywood films present a more thought-provoking scenario than M. Night Shyamalan’s 2004 drama The Village. The movie is mostly set in a Puritan-styled community surrounded on all sides by dense forest, its boundaries policed by monstrous creatures that ostensibly prowl the woods. Its young people grow up together, learning old folkways and marrying amongst themselves, without ever venturing beyond its borders. But despite the seemingly claustrophobic setting, this is no dystopia. Indeed, the residents seem to be thriving in their seclusion. They have traditions, rituals, spiritual unity—all the virtues of a community unmarked by world-historical upheaval.
