The Ring

You will die in seven days. How would you spend those seven days? In Rachel Keller’s case, she will spend her days unlocking the mystery of the ring.

Rachel (Naomi Watts) is a busy, no-nonsense journalist who writes for the Seattle Pi. One day, her life is turned upside down when Katie, her niece and son’s babysitter, is mysteriously found dead. Rachel’s sister, who is Katie’s mother, confides in Rachel that she’s spoken to three different doctors and not one could tell her why Katie died. All anyone knows is that Katie died in her partially-flooded bedroom, right in front of her TV. Rachel’s sister then asks her to solve the mystery behind Katie’s death. When Rachel speaks to Katie’s friends, they mention a videotape that supposedly kills you seven days after you watch it.

Rachel is able to find the videotape and is frightened and puzzled by what she sees. The tape is a sequence of eery images and spooky sounds. When the tape is finished playing, the phone rings. Rachel picks up the receiver, and a voice whispers, “Seven days . . .”

In one week, Rachel must use the clues from the videotape to try to figure out the mystery as to why it kills people. She also wants to know who the woman and little girl are in the video. With the help of her son, Aidan (David Dorfman), and her ex-boyfriend/Aidan’s father, Noah (Martin Henderson), Rachel discovers the horrifying secret of the tape that will alter her life forever.

One element displayed excellently in the film is symbolism. On the tape, certain objects, creatures and places are used to represent feelings, and are also clues to solving the mystery. For example, the image of a ladder falling down represents the feeling of loneliness and hopelessness. The image of the ring itself also represents a significant clue in the film. It’s very creepy when you see the eery objects in the videotape, and then later on in the film you see Rachel come across them in her investigation.

The movie isn’t frightening in the sense that there’s very little blood and few moments that startle you, but the film is frightening in the sense that it’s a psychological thriller. There is a famous saying by President Roosevelt that there is nothing to fear but fear itself. The film demonstrates just this. A ladder, a chair, a woman combing her hair . . . one wouldn’t normally find these scary. But when these things represent a frightening clue, and you don’t know what that clue is, it’s creepy. Therefore, the audience is frightened by simply the fear of not knowing.

One critique I do have of the film is that many mysteries are left unsolved. The audience is able to figure out the meanings behind the videotape’s symbols, but other questions are left unanswered. Why do victims’ faces become distorted once they die? How was the videotape created? How does Aidan know secrets about the tape that Rachel doesn’t know?

The film overall is very creepy and the audience goes on a thrilling journey with Rachel as she puts together the pieces of the puzzle, but don’t expect all the pieces of the puzzle to line up once the credits begin.

Written by: Rebecca Hiatt

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