Why Mel Gibson Could Have Won An Oscar For SIGNS

#film #mnightshyamalan #oscars
In 2002, Mel Gibson gave a wildly underrated performance as Graham Hess, a former reverend who lost his faith after the death of his wife. Graham is a layered, complex character that Mel brings to life brilliantly.
In the penultimate scene of the movie, Graham holds his lifeless son. At first, his eyes are closed and he's not saying anything. In that moment, we the viewers can wonder "Is Graham praying to the God he hates?" After a nuanced action from Mel, Graham then verbalizes a secular logic-based reason as to why Morgan may not have been affected by the alien's poisonous gas. That moment of ambiguity, though , is incredibly powerful and well-acted by Mel. In that moment where Morgan is lifeless in his arms, Graham is feeling despair, hopelessness, hopefulness, anger and fear, and Mel captures all of that perfectly, while also offering that aforementioned ambiguity of is he or isn't he praying. Then his reaction to Morgan coming to is the cherry on top of an incredibly powerful, brilliantly-acted scene.