When I watched The Village I was struck with the feeling that Shyamalan was making a critique of organized religion, which is represented by "the village". The borders of the village are the rules of religious orthodoxy, which are protected by the manufactured threats of the religious leaders (ie hell). Ironically, the medicine that is required to "save" an injured member of the village can only be found beyond its borders. The physical blindness of the central character, Ivy Walker, represents the ongoing state of the village as she brings medicine back from the outside world. The life of her love is saved, but in the end the blindness of the village toward a greater reality only serves to be strengthened.

Admittedly, I may be reading way too much into this. But, I would like to pose this question: to what extent is innocence possible without ignorance?

[via Graffiti on the wall]