The Sixth Sense is a 1999 American psychological thriller film written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. It stars Bruce Willis as Dr. Malcolm Crowe, a child psychologist, and Haley Joel Osment as Cole Sear, a nine-year-old boy who claims he can see and talk to dead people. The film also features Toni Collette as Lynn Sear (Cole's mother) and Olivia Williams as Anna Crowe.
The plot follows Dr. Crowe as he attempts to help Cole after a former patient he failed to treat, Vincent Grey (Donnie Wahlberg), breaks into his home, shoots him, and then kills himself. As Crowe works with Cole, the boy reveals his secret: "I see dead people." Crowe initially suspects schizophrenia but eventually comes to believe Cole, advising him to communicate with the ghosts and help them resolve their unfinished business. In a famous twist ending, Crowe realizes that he himself has been dead the entire time — killed by Vincent Grey at the beginning of the film — and that his wife Anna has been grieving him.
Released by Buena Vista Pictures through its Hollywood Pictures banner on August 6, 1999, the film was a critical and commercial success. It grossed over $672 million worldwide, making it the second-highest-grossing film of 1999 and Shyamalan's highest-grossing film to date. It was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (Osment), and Best Supporting Actress (Collette). The film established Shyamalan as a prominent filmmaker known for twist endings.
The line "I see dead people" — spoken by Osment's character — was ranked No. 44 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes list. The film was shot primarily in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and features a distinctive visual motif in which the color red is used sparingly to signify moments connected to the supernatural or intense emotion.
