Knock At the Cabin
M. Night Shyamalan is back! For many that won’t matter, for some, it is very exciting, and for others, it brings curiosity. Because, no matter how you feel about M. Night, or if his latest film is good or bad. They are always one thing, interesting.
Based on the novel by Paul Trembley The Cabin at the End of the World. Andrew (Ben Aldridge) and Eric (Jonathan Groff) are a gay couple taking their adopted daughter Wen to a remote cabin in the woods for a vacation.
If this sounds like a setup for a horror film, you’d be right! It is a story setup we have seen many times before but this time it has M. Night’s specific flare.
Dave Bautista’s Leonard and three comrades, friends, or concubines? They come to the cabin with a purpose. They need Andrew, Eric, or Wen to sacrifice one of themselves to save humanity, or the world will be destroyed by plagues.
The film plays in a taught thriller for nearly the entire runtime. M. Night never fully reveals his hand till the very end of the film. Now I am going to get into spoiler territory, so if you haven’t seen the film stop reading now until you have.
I think M. Night had a tough time after The Sixth Sense. He got cornered into being the twist guy, which is not sustainable for an entire career. So inevitably he is going to have some flops and films that don’t work as well.
As a Signs defender, it should come as no shock that I think this is one of his better films. M. Night comes back to the theme of Everything Happens for a Reason. There are no coincidences in this world.
These two things could be an issue for filmgoers because for 100 minutes you’re waiting for a twist, instead, there is no twist but a theme that many feel is schlocky after being let down by no twist.
However, this worked for me and I think anyone else who is in the Signs hive will also enjoy this film.
This is one of Shyamalan’s best films since Signs because of the strength of his actors and filmmaking. Usually, Shyamalan’s dialogue is very stilted and sometimes doesn’t sound like a real person talking.
Here Ben Aldridge and Jonathan Groff elevate the script by giving real life to a fictitious couple. Their scene near the end of the film is quite moving and if you don’t have two good actors at that moment it could be laughable.
Dave Bautista is also excellent in a challenging role. Leonard has to be a gentle giant who is still menacing, even if he doesn’t sound menacing. He needs to gently ease these three people into the theory that if one of them does not sacrifice themselves the world will end. It’s a very good performance and Dave will only get better with time.
Shyamalan’s use of blocking and camerawork are very impressive here. It’s a small space that is utilized excellently, whilst never feeling stagnate even though they never leave the room.
The editing helps here because we get flashbacks to flesh out the relationship between Eric, Andrew, and Wen. So the audience gets to leave the cabin even if the characters don’t.
M. Night Shyamalan has delivered one of his best films since early in his career. His technical mastery mixed with the performances he gets from his actors is impressive to watch. The thematical elements may not resonate with you, and if not then this film will not work for you. If they do, this film will hit you hard.
