by: Brian Dupre

When discussing the atomic bomb in an interview with Jeremy Bernstein in 1965, Stanley Kubrick noted: “People react primarily to direct experience and not to abstractions; it is very rare to find anyone who can become emotionally involved with an abstraction.” The end of the world is universal. Something we all must face on the micro and macro scale, whether the death of the individual or the end of life on Earth. Massive and unavoidable concepts that on some deep level we acknowledge but often repress to avoid the inevitable pestering questions that come with acceptance. The same could be said about human-driven climate change. In an age of unprecedented scientific knowledge about ongoing and ever-increasing catastrophes and our role in that, we are still trying to break through that abstraction. In our myths and stories the reminder to change before it is too late persists over time and cultures, but as M. Knight Shyamalan’s latest film “Knock at the Cabin” addresses; meaning is subjective and people don’t often change easily, regardless of the evidence presented. This is particularly true when those trying to convince you have given little reason to trust them, and they say extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.

Viewers get little time to settle into the idyllic forest setting where our protagonist family of Jonathan Groff (Eric), Ben Aldridge (Andrew), and their adopted daughter Kristen Cui (Wen) are vacationing before Dave Bautista’s Leonard and his “coworkers” arrive to propel our story into motion. This is easily the most subtle and nuanced performance I’ve seen Bautista give. The movie is balanced on his shoulders and he holds the weight well. He and his team (Rupert Grint, Nikki Asuka-Bird & Abby Quinn) have come to bring the worst imaginable news to the family. Holding the travelers hostage, the foursome reveals they must choose one person between themselves to kill in order to avoid the end of humanity as they know it. As they try to make their case and explain who they are, deciding how much to believe them along with the family is an exciting ride and provides a compelling wrench in things at one point in particular. Flashback sequences provide insight into Eric, Andrew, and Wen and they are a sweet, believable family with understandable baggage. Cui is adorable as Wen and delivers one of the most heart-wrenching lines of the movie. Aldridge has the bigger performance of the parents, and a solid one, but Groff shines here. Minuscule shifts in his demeanor seemed to convey his thoughts entirely at times. All of the performances are highlighted by Shyamalan and cinematographer Jarin Blaschke’s (best known for his work with Robert Eggers and a perfect fit here) creative camera movements and blocking that keep the visuals fresh within the limited settings. 

“Knock at the Cabin” is an apocalypse thriller with a family drama at the core, so of course it is exaggerated, but I was moved by its heightened nature and came out of it respecting a certain lack of cynicism that could’ve so easily dragged it down. The bigger special effects are not a high point here but express what they need to on the $20 million budget. Given the R rating, the violence is surprisingly off-screen for the most part although very much implied, an effective choice that contrasted well with what is happening outside of the cabin. The atrocities on the television can be held at a distance, questioned, and we are allowed to see it with them. The most immediate violence, however, is our characters’ burden to bear and cannot be doubted even when the audience isn’t getting the full, gruesome picture. The end of the world is getting much less abstract at an alarming rate. Convinced or not of the crew’s story, the clock is ticking and a decision must be made. Is it possible to expand our conception of family, of future, to include all of humanity before it is too late? “Knock at the Cabin” allows an examination of what we owe the world, if anything at all.

Rating: 3.5/5