Knock at the Cabin – Confined Spaces and Apocalyptic Places

Being an M. Night Shyamalan, whenever a new Shyamalan film comes out, it is exciting. His output isn’t always great, and he’s had an almost equal share of lows as he has had super high highs, but at the end of the day, he’s exciting. He is an interesting filmmaker who’s visionary and emotive approach to cinema always has me intrigued in his upcoming projects, and my feeling on this won’t waiver. 

Knock at the Cabin is the latest Shyamalan picture, and it is a rarity in the Shyamalan filmography. Being adapted from Paul G. Tremblay’s 2018 novel, The Cabin at the End of the World, this is one of the rare adapted works from Shyamalan. Starring Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, Abby Quinn, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Rupert Grint, newcomer Kristen Cui, and Dave Bautista, Knock at the Cabin packs a pretty small cast and setting despite being a large film in scope. Wen (Cui) and her two dads: daddy Eric (Groff), and daddy Andrew (Aldridge), are visited at the cabin they are vacationing in by four mysterious strangers, brought together by the same supposed vision of the end of the world. What is initially thought to be a home invasion turns into much, much more, as the four present the family with a life or death ultimatum: kill one of your own to avoid the apocalypse, or walk amongst the broken and crippling world as some of its last survivors. 

The film mostly remains confined to the cabin, and in that its very success is based on the built up tension that is felt throughout. The film dives into a moral debate, and is mostly a pretty standardly structured film, not really packing any of Shyamalan’s signature punches. Not that all of his film’s have to have elements right out of left field to be successful, but this one’s strengths aren’t in narrative subversion. Instead, the film relies solely on its actors and the idea of the progression of heightened tension. The four intruders must not just convince this family to sacrifice one of their own, but somehow prove that they are not lying about the apocalypse they are warning them about. Immediately there is an unmatched sense of intensity brought to the film by Ben Aldridge, who’s fierce and resilient steadfast opposition to the intruders keeps the film on edge. Dave Bautista opposites that energy with his calm, collected, and compassionate demeanor which sees him almost take up the role of the gentle giant. He continues to show improvement with his acting chops.

Unfortunately, it was also somewhat of a drag at times. The very premise and structure of the film keeps it from reaching too far, and when the tension falters, it becomes rather uninteresting. While the film attempts to be a play at morality, it is pretty one note with most of the characters keeping out of any questionable grey area. One could argue that the whole film is in a grey area, but that doesn’t do too much to the overall arc of our journey, and at many times one can’t help but feel a sense of apathy. There is too much of the same in this journey, and that’s the biggest thing weighing down an otherwise solid thriller. One outlier here is the interwoven backstory of Eric and Andrew that plays out throughout the film, which felt rather seamlessly interjected into this film and provided a sense of freshness along our journey. 

Shoutout to Shyamalan’s eye and the film’s cinematography, which much like Old, was one of the movies strongest elements. 

Knock at the Cabin is not without its detractors, and its biggest flaw might just lie in the plot limitations. Regardless, it is still a well-shot, well-acted, and solidly sturdy thriller. I am very interested to see what general audiences think of this one, as its lack of any sort of gruesome shock factor made me confused at its R rating (crude language notwithstanding). Bautista and Aldridge are standouts, and Shyamalan’s consistent commitment to unrelenting emotive storytelling that truly aims for the heart is always endearing.

*still courtesy of Universal Pictures*

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Brennan Dubé

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