Knock At The Cabin

3
Worth answering

The Plot: Wen (Kristen Cui) is enjoying a countryside holiday in a cabin with her parents Eric (Jonathan Groff) and Andrew (Ben Aldridge). It’s not going to be peaceful for very long. Leonard (Dave Bautista) and his crew of Redmond (Rupert Grint), Sabrina (Nikki Amuka-Bird) and Ardiane (Abby Quinn) turn up at their doorstep wielding heavy weapons which they call tools. They’re going to get in one way or another, as they have an agenda and a schedule to keep. They’re here to avert the apocalypse and to do so, they present the trio with an impossible choice to make. The fate of humanity lies in their very hands, but Andrew doesn’t believe a word they say…

The Verdict: How does a devastating apocalypse start and can it actually end through the actions of just a handful of people, given how resilient people are in stressful situations? Do we need to see what’s actually happening to believe? These are some of the questions at the core of M. Night Shyamalan’s latest brain-teaser Knock At The Cabin, which moves on from his tried-and-tested twist-ending days to root out something deeper about humanity and the choices we make on a personal and a global level. It’s a typically puzzling affair from Shyamalan, with a slow build of tension from the Frankenstein-like opening involving a hulking man and a small girl meeting in the forest. He wants to be friends with her hoping that it might make the heavy burden of his mission lighter, but his intentions could easily be misunderstood. When the man and his other friends turn up and hold the girl and her family captive, it’s all down to a choice. How this domestic drama plays out against the backdrop of an apocalypse that may or may not be happening is where Shyamalan leaves the audience hanging on a question mark.

It’s an interesting concept to begin with, co-adapted by Shyamalan, Steve Desmond and Michael Sherman from the novel The Cabin At The End Of The World by Paul Tremblay. What would one do if presented with a choice of saving one’s family or saving the world? That’s of course assuming that what one is being told is actually true. This is where Shyamalan plays around with audience expectations as to what is actually going on here. Leonard and his crew present themselves as ordinary people who shared a common vision and were directed to this one place with a particular purpose. Given that America has over the decades cornered the market in dodgy religious cults and far-right extremists, it’s not unreasonable to suspect that Leonard is a fanatic who simply believes he is right and that is enough for him to do his dark deed. Cast on the strength of his performance in Blade Runner 2049, Dave Bautista delivers a grim but subtly-realised performance that is equal parts tortured and determined. He moves beyond the fanatic to something more grounded and the film benefits greatly from Bautista’s performance.

This film is not quite what you think it is, something which Shyamalan specialises in. As he slowly nudges the audience into accepting that decisions in this idyllic place could have rippling consequences, he questions moral choices and self-preservationist behaviour. It’s moderately thought-provoking stuff wrapped up in a shiny studio package, but it isn’t fully fleshed out to the extent it could have been. Shyamalan touches upon a number of potential doomsday scenarios and related actions of the characters, but sidesteps some of the narrative and motivations of the characters to sell those actions convincingly. This has the effect of disconnecting the film from the high-stakes narrative at times. The script could have been more focused on this point, but thankfully it’s not enough to upend what is a more thrilling film than his last, muddled one. Knock At The Cabin isn’t prime Shyamalan, but it holds itself together in an involving way that makes it a knock at the door worth answering.

Rating: 3 / 5

Review by Gareth O’Connor

Knock At The Cabin
Worth answering
Knock At The Cabin (USA / China / 15A / 100 mins)

In short: Worth answering

Directed by M. Night Shyamalan.

Starring Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Rupert Grint, Abby Quinn, Kristen Cui.

3
Worth answering