LADY IN THE WATER is a 2006 American fantasy thriller film written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. The movie stars Paul Giamatti as Cleveland Heep, a reclusive apartment building superintendent who discovers a mysterious woman named Story (Bryce Dallas Howard) in the complex's swimming pool one night. Cleveland soon learns that Story is actually a "narf," a mystical creature from an underwater realm called "The Blue World."
Story tells Cleveland that she has been sent to our world on a mission to find a writer who will tell her story to the world and thereby inspire significant changes in the world for the better. However, the "scrunt," a vicious wolf-like creature from The Blue World has followed Story to our world and will stop at nothing to kill her. Cleveland, along with a colorful cast of tenants, including his young tenant Joey (Noah Gray-Cabey), a film critic named Mr. Farber (Bob Balaban), and a fitness freak named Reggie (Freddy Rodriguez), joins forces with Story to outmaneuver the scrunt and help the narf safely return home.
Lady in the Water takes its time establishing its eccentric characters and otherworldly premise, culminating in a thrilling final confrontation between Story and the scrunt. Shyamalan weaves in elements of fairy tales, myths from different cultures, and folklore to create a unique and immersive world that challenges the audience's expectations. At its heart, however, the movie is about the power of storytelling and how a great story can transform the world.