---
title: "The Others"
year: 2001
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-others"
fi1m_id: "the-others"
imdb_id: "tt0230600"
tmdb_id: 1933
wikidata_id: "Q332515"
fi1m_score: 80
critics_score: 77
critics_reviews: 16
published: "2026-09-14"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:07.559160+00:00"
region: "BR"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Others (2001)

Directed by Alejandro Amenábar · 1h 41m · ClassInd 12 · Horror, Mystery, Thriller

## Identity

The Others

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-others
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** the-others
- **IMDb ID:** tt0230600
- **TMDB ID:** 1933
- **Wikidata ID:** Q332515
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0230600/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/1933, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q332515

**Fi1m score: 80** · Critics 77 from 16 reviews

*In a sentence:* Nicole Kidman looks as though even the ghosts ought to ask permission

> Alejandro Amenábar makes a frightening ghost story from a dark house, a strained mother and the time spent waiting. Nicole Kidman gives it weight, though the deliberate pace will test anyone impatient for a scare.

## Synopsis

Nicole Kidman plays Grace Stewart, a mother at the centre of a household troubled by an unseen presence. Her children, Anne (Alakina Mann) and Nicholas (James Bentley), share the house and its growing unease. Ordinary disturbances suggest that the family is not alone, while isolation and uncertainty make it difficult to establish what is happening. Fionnula Flanagan, Eric Sykes and Elaine Cassidy also appear. Written and directed by Alejandro Amenábar, the story follows Grace and the children through a haunting in which what remains out of sight becomes as troubling as what they can see.

## Review

*The Others* is frightening enough to justify most of the time it spends keeping us waiting. Alejandro Amenábar, who writes and directs, makes a controlled, unsettling ghost story that occasionally waits longer than it needs to. Its strongest resource is Nicole Kidman, playing Grace Stewart as a mother whose efforts to remain composed are visibly costing her. We recommend it, with the warning that its quiet stretches demand some willingness to sit still.

Kidman lets Grace’s severity and vulnerability occupy the same face, so that her attempts to manage the household never make her seem secure in it. Alakina Mann and James Bentley, as Anne and Nicholas, give the children an unsettling presence without reducing them to little instruments for delivering scares. Their mother commands our attention, but they make us question how much reassurance her authority can offer. The performances keep the family’s unease credible even when the plotting is conspicuously careful.

Javier Aguirresarobe’s cinematography finds menace in shadow and mist without making the image difficult to read. Darkness matters because we keep searching it for something that might not be there. Benjamín Fernández’s production design makes the house feel oppressively enclosed, somewhere a family could come to forget that other places exist. Between those interiors and the mist outside, there seems little prospect of finding somewhere comfortable to sit.

We were frightened by the ordinary disturbances in the house, because the sound makes us listen for a presence the picture does not confirm. There is something particularly uncomfortable about having time to decide that we have heard enough, then having to keep listening. Amenábar allows that discomfort to grow, trusting us to supply something horrible without needing to put it plainly on screen. The lack of graphic violence leaves our attention free to settle on those small interruptions.

Nacho Ruiz Capillas’s editing gives these stretches enough room, though the measured pace sometimes becomes a drag. There are passages when the next disturbance takes too long to arrive, and our attention wanders from the house to the pacing. Amenábar also composed the music, which helps sustain the unease without being as memorable as the use of sound and silence. A little more variation in the rhythm would have helped, especially when the atmosphere is already so firmly established.

As gothic horror, this works within familiar conventions and does not strain to escape them. That can make it feel stiff, particularly when the deliberate pace leaves us noticing how carefully the scares have been prepared. Yet Grace’s distress gives the house a reason to be frightening beyond its suitability for a ghost story, and Kidman never lets her become merely a woman waiting for the next disturbance. Amenábar’s writing is careful about what it tells us, and the performers prevent that care from becoming an exercise in arranging clues.

The 101-minute running time helps, despite those slower stretches. This is a good choice for anyone interested in horror but weary of graphic violence. Choose an evening when both people on the sofa are prepared to keep quiet.

*Fi1m score 80, published 14 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics like The Others, and the reviews agree on why. It is a ghost story that works by suggestion rather than gore, and nearly every notice praises Alejandro Amenábar for his patience and control in building dread from small domestic disturbances in a fog-bound house. Nicole Kidman’s brittle, highly strung mother is singled out everywhere as the film’s anchor, with several reviews also crediting the children and the sound design and photography.

The reservations are mild and cluster around how old-fashioned the film is. Total Film finds the pace sedate, and the Evening Standard, while admiring the control, thinks it a conventional exercise that copies the old dark house picture rather than pushing it somewhere new. Radio Times is cool too, calling it tasteful and old-fashioned. The spread is narrow: no critic dislikes it, the strongest notices call it one of the finer ghost stories of its kind, and the cooler ones concede the atmosphere while wishing for more.

## Straight answers

**Is The Others worth watching?**

*The Others* is worth watching for anyone who likes a ghost story built on waiting rather than gore, and we scored it 80. Nicole Kidman gives the haunting its weight as a mother whose composure is visibly costing her, and Alejandro Amenábar frightens us with ordinary disturbances the picture never confirms. The deliberate pace will test anyone impatient for a scare.

**How long is The Others, and what is it rated?**

*The Others* runs 1h 41m and is rated 12 by the ClassInd in Brazil. It is a horror and mystery film.

**Where can I watch The Others in Brazil?**

*The Others* is streaming on Amazon Prime Video in Brazil. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

### Reviews we read (16)

- **Empire**, Caroline Westbrook (90/100, inferred): The film delivers some of the creepiest, most atmospheric chills in years through unseen forces and subtle scares rather than graphic horror. Kidman's performance as the repressed mother is superbly cast and central to the haunting effect. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/others-review/)
- **IndieWire**, David Ehrlich (90/100, inferred): The critic praises Alejandro Amenábar's 2001 film as one of cinema's finest ghost stories that endures due to its direct confrontation with the genre's core secrets. They highlight how it confronts denial and loss in a classical, elegant haunted-house tale centered on Nicole Kidman's performance. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/the-others-one-of-the-best-ghost-movies-nicole-kidman-1234921445/)
- **Screen Daily** (90/100, inferred): The review hails the film as a sumptuously crafted, suspenseful supernatural thriller with moody visuals and strong performances, especially Kidman's. It notes the art-house qualities and effective building of tension without effects or violence. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/the-others/406543.article)
- **The New York Times**, A.O. Scott (90/100, inferred): The critic describes the film as a genuine, integrity-filled psychological thriller that terrifies through what has happened rather than what happens, praising its conjuring of primal anxieties like fear of the dark and the dead over typical teenage horror fare. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/12/movies/film-the-house-is-dark-and-the-children-are-afraid.html)
- **Time Out**, TCh (90/100, inferred): The review calls the film a confident, subtle and controlled English-language debut that relies on suggestion and atmosphere rather than gore. It singles out the ingenious plotting, Kidman's pitch-perfect performance and its status as one of the best studio releases of the year. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-others)
- **Variety**, Dennis Harvey (90/100, inferred): The critic praises the film as a delicious old-fashioned goose-pimpler and luxuriously tailored star vehicle for Kidman, highlighting masterful control, memorable creepy set pieces, and a terrific cast led by her fascinating performance. [Read](https://variety.com/2001/film/reviews/the-others-5-1200469578/)
- **Sight and Sound**, Nick James (80/100, inferred): The critic praises Amenábar's controlled, atmospheric haunted-house chiller for its restraint, narrative sleights and technical craft. Kidman's feverish lead performance and the ensemble are singled out as highlights alongside the sound design and cinematography. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/features/it-earns-every-hair-it-stiffens-alejandro-amenabars-others)
- **Los Angeles Times** (70/100, inferred): The critic calls the film elegantly and deliberately made, reeking of mood and creepiness, with a genteel menace that anchors in Kidman's intense, vulnerable performance dominating an atmospheric traditional ghost story. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-aug-10-ca-32555-story.html)
- **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a quiet, brooding haunted house mystery that builds dread slowly through atmosphere rather than shocks, praising the director's patience and Kidman's convincing performance as a normal woman in a disturbing situation. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-others-2001)
- **Slant Magazine**, Ed Gonzalez (70/100, inferred): Amenábar plants post-war solitude and dying religiosity before a backdrop of ghoulish shadows and claustrophobic mists in a dollhouse thriller that dares to challenge The Sixth Sense. The film evokes a hierarchically-informed spirit world and is also pretty scary. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-others/)
- **The AV Club**, Scott Tobias (70/100, inferred): The film is a simple, spare, and exhilaratingly old-fashioned haunted-house movie that builds tension through mundane disturbances. It harks back to classically constructed horror films that leave their scariest effects to the viewer's imagination. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/the-others-1798192719)
- **The Guardian**, Philip French (70/100, inferred): The critic praises the film for renewing the ghost story tradition with quiet authority, drawing on influences like The Turn of the Screw and The Haunting. Nicole Kidman's edgy, concerned performance as the neurotic mother anchors the atmospheric, claustrophobic tale set in a fog-bound Jersey mansion. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2001/nov/04/nicolekidman.philipfrench)
- **Total Film** (70/100, inferred): An old-fashioned scary movie with ingenious touches that refreshes the ghost story genre through suspense, scares and surprises despite a sedate pace. Kidman's brittle performance and the children's unsettling presence heighten the clammy chills. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-others-review/)
- **Evening Standard** (60/100, inferred): The film is a classy, elegant and conventional formal exercise in the old dark house spook movie with impeccable control and sustained atmosphere. It works on its own terms but is disappointing for not pushing the genre further, feeling like a simulacrum rather than a great original. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/ghosts-that-shake-not-shock-7433101.html)
- **Radio Times** (3/5): The critic describes it as a tastefully literate, old-fashioned gothic chiller that relies on mood and atmosphere. Kidman's powerful performance as the highly strung mother is highlighted alongside the sophisticated approach to suspense. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-o3s45o/the-others/)
- **Eye for Film**, Angus Wolfe Murray (80/100, inferred): The critic praises the film's creation of an atmosphere of unease through suggestion rather than overt scares. They single out the flawless performances, particularly from the young actors and Nicole Kidman as the complex lead. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-others-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray)

## Details

- **Director:** Alejandro Amenábar
- **Director:** Alejandro Amenábar
- **Writer:** Alejandro Amenábar
- **Cinematography:** Javier Aguirresarobe
- **Editor:** Nacho Ruiz Capillas
- **Music:** Alejandro Amenábar
- **Production design:** Benjamín Fernández
- **Costume design:** Sonia Grande
- **Producer:** Sunmin Park, Fernando Bovaira, José Luis Cuerda
- **Cast:** Nicole Kidman as Grace Stewart; Alakina Mann as Anne Stewart; James Bentley as Nicholas Stewart; Fionnula Flanagan as Mrs. Bertha Mills; Christopher Eccleston as Charles Stewart; Eric Sykes as Mr. Edmund Tuttle; Elaine Cassidy as Lydia; Keith Allen as Mr. Marlish
- **Runtime:** 1h 41m
- **Certificate (ClassInd):** 12
- **Release (Brazil):** 1 November 2001
- **Genres:** Horror, Mystery, Thriller
- **Budget:** $17 million
- **Box office:** $210 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GekkoBitLvM

## Where to watch in Brazil

- Amazon Prime Video: add-on

*Checked 2026-09-14.*

Also available in: AT, AU, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, HU, IE, IT, JP, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PL, PT, RO, SE, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Goya Award for Best Art Direction 2002: Goya Award for Best Art Direction (won)
- Goya Award for Best Editing 2002: Goya Award for Best Editing (won)
- Goya Award for Best Film 2002: Goya Award for Best Film (won)
- Goya Award for Best Production Supervision 2002: Goya Award for Best Production Supervision (won)
- Goya Award for Best Sound 2002: Goya Award for Best Sound (won)
- Goya Award for Best Special Effects 2002: Goya Award for Best Special Effects (nominated)
- Ignotus Award for Best Audiovisual Production 2002: Ignotus Award for Best Audiovisual Production (won)
- European Film Award for Best Film 2001: European Film Award for Best Film (nominated)

## If you liked this

- *The Innocents* (1961): For another anxious household where the children make adult authority look fragile
- *The Changeling* (1980): A patient haunting that gives an old house time to become intolerable
- *The Orphanage* (2007), Fi1m 81: For a mother’s distress made frightening without losing sight of her humanity — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-orphanage.md)
- *The Devil's Backbone* (2001): Children, ghosts and buried history, with more warmth amid the unease
- *Lake Mungo* (2008): For quiet supernatural dread built from family grief and close attention

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-others