- Release Date: – 03/02/2023
- Cast: Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, Kristen Cui
- Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Leonard (Dave Bautista), Redmond (Rupert Grint), Sabrina (Nikki Amuka-Bird), and Adriane (Abby Quinn) brutally interrupt a blissful vacation of Eric (Jonathan Groff), Andrew (Ben Aldridge) and their daughter Wen (Kristen Cui) in a secluded cabin and force an unthinkable choice on them to not only get out of their captivity but also save humanity as we know it.
Knock at the Cabin is directed by M. Night Shyamalan, the man who made stupendous films like The Sixth Sense, Signs, Unbreakable, Split, and Glass. He is also someone who made turkeys like After Earth, Old, The Happening, and The Last Airbender. This makes it clear that he is just as capable of making exceptionally brilliant and impactful films in any genre as he is of making extremely poor and superficial ones. Thus, as I walked into “Knock at the Cabin”, I was apprehensive but also hopeful.
Intriguing storytelling through captivating dialogues: –
“Knock at the Cabin” begins with a tense and captivating dialogue between Leonard and Wen. It immediately reminded me of the engrossing, thought-provoking, and thrilling dialogues between characters that were a hallmark of M. Night Shyamalan’s films during his most creative and rewarding years. The dialogue is as much a prologue to what was about to happen to this family as it was a warning to Wen and her two fathers who were soon to be involved in a predicament that was both harrowing and immensely important. The same was done through the character of Wen who wasn’t someone to be taken seriously but it is done in such a way that it immediately strikes a chord with you and instills fear and tension.
Homosexuality as an integral part of the storytelling: –
These days, Homosexuality is used more to tick certain boxes and to document the progressive mindset of the makers of a certain film or series than it is to drive a plot. Seldom do you find the sexual orientation of the characters to be integral to a certain plot? Interestingly, that is not the case here. The homosexual couple in the film who is at the centre of all that was about to happen to them and were in a way preordained to impact the entire human civilization were looking at Leonard and his team in a certain way because they were homosexuals. They believed that Leonard and his intruders were prejudiced against them and were making them suffer for their sexuality. This belief of their makes them do things that make it even more complicated for Leonard to make them do their bidding as the couple is certain that they are being tortured for their homosexuality when the fact of the matter is completely different. This becomes clear to them pretty soon when Leonard and his men do something uncharacteristic and extremely violent.
The performances are at the core of the film’s strength: –
The performances and the dialogues in the film are consistently brilliant. Let me put it this way. The entire film unfolds in a cabin with the characters talking to each other and trying to convince each other to do certain things. No matter how horrifying these things may seem to be, it is up to them to get the others to do it just by convincing them. There is very little violence. Leonard and his intruders cannot harm others. There aren’t too many escape attempts as the intruders have all the exits covered. It is only the dialogue and interpersonal drama that drives the narrative forward.
Thus, the performances and the dialogues of the film needed to be absolutely gripping to ensure that the viewers were intrigued and invested in the narrative throughout. This is exactly the case. While what Leonard and his team have to tell the others is shocking and out of the world, we are able to believe them because of how well the characters are rendered by the ensemble cast. There is very little shock value that is delivered through the visuals of the film. The actors are tasked to sell the fear, drama, claustrophobia, and believability of the narrative through their respective performances. Each and every one of them is successful in doing that.
Dave Bautista at his best: –
I was particularly impressed by the performance of Dave Bautista. He is fast becoming an actor to reckon with and if one ignores the inherent charm of Dwayne Johnson, Bautista is definitely a better actor than Johnson. He does probably his best in terms of acting in this film and I was on the same page with his character from start to finish. One look at his character was enough to convince me that he was in pain and didn’t want to do what he was forced to do. Further, he firmly believed in the idea that he was trying to convince Eric and Andrew of and this made the proceedings even more interesting. The way he looks in terms of his physique and evident physical strength and the way he behaves is so different that it creates an interesting duality in his character for the audience to enjoy. Rupert Grint in a short and maniacal essay is fantastic. He creates more tension in his short essay than any other character in the film. The way his character makes an exit was also one of the biggest shocks of the film and I didn’t see that coming.
Jonathan Groff and Ben Aldridge provide solid support: –
Jonathan Groff and Ben Aldridge are fantastic as a homosexual couple. The fact that we see one of them completely disbelieve and ridicule all that Leonard and his men have to say while the other gradually starts believing Leonard makes for an interesting dynamic to experience. They are both deeply in love with each other and their daughter and they somehow want to get back to their normal existence but they understand that it was not going to happen. That creeping feeling of helplessness and acceptance in their mannerisms and expressions contributed to a lot of the film’s drama. Kristen Cui is one of those child actors who do better than the adults and steals the show simply by the sense of urgency that they bring to their performance. She is splendid here and her essay is immensely impactful.
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The many drawbacks of the film: –
While the film builds tension wonderfully through its storytelling, performances, and engrossing dialogue, the ending was nothing spectacular. It was something that was neither shocking nor completely believable. Another problem for me was that M. Night Shyamalan neither explained the genesis of all that happened in the film nor did he explain how it all could depend on the actions of a single family. It is also not explained how this particular family was chosen and why, even though the same is addressed by different characters. It must be added that there was no way to convincingly end this film owing to the nature of the story. Shyamalan, Steve Desmond, and Michael Sherman did write themselves into such a corner from where there was no escape. The film does slow down towards the end when the novelty of the subject starts fading and the grip of the performances starts loosening. This is the kind of film that someone can watch only once.
Final Words: –
There might be some who might see hidden meanings and references in the story that might elevate the impact and power of the film for them. This would be owing to the biblical history that the film grounds its storytelling on. I haven’t read the Bible and Shyamalan cannot expect ordinary viewers to read the Bible for understanding the genesis of his story and the characters to enjoy a certain film. In its support, it can be said that the film truly eases its viewers into the insane story and uses tense and gripping dialogues between the characters to establish the plot organically. The acting by the ensemble cast further makes everything believable no matter how crazy it might all be. Knock at the Cabin is easily one of Shyamalan’s better films even though it fails in the end.
Rating: 3/5 (3 out of 5 Stars)
The views expressed in this article are that of the reviewer and do not reflect EastMojo’s position.
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