'Old' — Shyamalan's Reminder That Time Will Destroy Us All

You only live once and who knows for how long

There is something eerie and grotesque about aging — the skin wrinkles, memory shortens, and hair turns white or disappears entirely. Our body gradually declines and then breaks down altogether, slipping towards oblivion and death.

For decades, we overlook how cruel time is and refuse to acknowledge its ruthlessness. But it’s always present — lurking in our subconscious — ready to pull out the rug from under our feet at any moment. We endure it every day since it comes in minor portions. We deem it as a trivial component of life. As long as it doesn’t demonstrate itself in a frightening form, we accept and live with its inevitability.

But when you see Steve at your high school reunion after thirty years, bald, fat, and middle-aged, or Anna with rough skin, Crow’s feet, and a growing turkey neck, you get scared. Will this happen to me? Oh, yeah. Before-and-After photos are shocking for a reason. When life throws how devastating aging is into your face, you begin to panic just as much as the next man. Midlife crisis is a bitch.