“Knock at the Cabin” (2023) is M. Night Shyamalan’s latest film and an adaptation of Paul G. Tremblay’s 2018 novel, “The Cabin at the End of the World.” Wen (Kristen Cul) and her two dads, Andrew (Ben Aldridge) and Eric (Jonathan Groff), are vacationing in a remote cabin when four strangers turn up and claim that they had visions. The family can save the world through a willing act of self-sacrifice. The family must choose which one is willing to die then kill that person, not suicide, or everyone will die.
Timing is everything, and apocalypses are not what they used to be. Planes falling out of the sky-9/11. Children drop dead every day of the week since 2020-covid, the flu, RSV, mass shooting. Tsunamis and earthquakes—I will raise you the earth’s inner core stopped rotating and is expected to reverse its rotation. After 2020, we don’t stop for anything, and we would not care. Most of these shocking events do not even make the news. Shyamalan and Tremblay’s vision of the world is quaint and sweet—a throwback to an earlier time when we would sort of stop and shock, but not really. Now dystopias are the way to go—never ending functioning regardless of the devastation, and if you really want to be revolutionary, imagine utopia. If you can imagine a better world, then maybe you can make one!
When I watched the preview for “Knock at the Cabin,” I correctly guessed what would happen—not specifics, but generally, but I also watch a lot of movies. The strangers announce their intentions in the first act and describe what they are going to do. There is zero tension if the strangers announce the limits of their mission. If a family can watch the strangers carry out their threat, then I would argue that they would not sacrifice anyone for humanity. It becomes a waiting game—how much can you stand. If you can watch everything, go down as you get to know people, you would not be invested in theoretical people. For me, a self-sacrificial family would agree earlier in the proceedings, not wait until a metaphorical 11:59 pm.
After watching “Knock at the Cabin,” I read some spoilers so I could compare Shyamalan’s version versus Tremblay’s, and somehow Shyamalan pulled punches and made it worse. At least Tremblay’s version sounds American and bleak whereas Shyamalan’s version stubbornly ignores practical concerns. Does Shyamalan ever make an unhappy ending? I only missed “Old” (2021), and I love the frisson that the supernatural injected into quotidian life evokes, but this ain’t it. If Shyamalan remade “The Mist” (2007) or “Storm of the Century” (1999), he would find a way to make it meaningful and ensure that different people died. Dude, I’m going to need your horror card. Instead it feels like a remix of “Signs” (2002) complete with people watching news. He even makes one of the characters explain everything just in case the viewer did not get it, but the twist on a classic apocalyptic figure feels cheap. I knew it was going to be bad, but I’m committed. At least the opening credits were portentous and evocative.
Side note: if you are a victim of a tsunami—in the water, how did you get your footage to the news? Are we at the stage where everyone is just automatically backing up to the cloud?
“Knock at the Cabin” is a dumb story, but if there is any suspension of disbelief, it will be because the cast does their best to sell this Rube Goldbergian contrivance. Dave Bautista carries this shit, as Leonard, the emcee for the end of the world, a gentle giant who obviously does not want to do any harm because if he did, there would not be any talking. Second place goes to Nikki Amuka-Bird as Sabrina, one of the four who is a black woman so duh, trust black women. Just kidding! Amuka-Bird’s deep breathing exercises and contradictory actions makes it obvious that she would prefer to be anywhere, but there. Cui does a great job as the dumb kid who is not that dumb. Sure, Leonard is fun to hang out with but she doesn’t know about these others, and she gathers her daddies right quick. Grint does what he can, and if he is forgettable, it is not his fault. Abby Quinn made no real impression on me, but she tried.
Groff, whom I remember most as King George from “Hamilton” (2020), does his best to lay the groundwork, but it is a thankless role. He gets flat hair and a vacant stare to make him the serene one. We get a little damning backstory-he prays and still talks to his mom. Hmmmmmmmm. At the lake, as he tries to loosen up, it is the sweetest moment. Andrew is the most developed character because he at least gets a story arc, plus he is a lawyer so I love a cynical bitch that I can relate to. Aldridge has all the chemistry as he is torn between running away with his kid and running to the aid of his husband. When he stomps his feet because it is the only thing that he can do while tied up to a chair, I bought that this is his family.
I’m sick of same sex couples being depicted as chaste. In a flashback, when the couple’s relationship is shown pre-kid and in the parent meeting stage, they could be business partners. Let them show physical affection! Also they were a family before they had a kid! I’m just saying. With that said, it had to be a same sex couple because in a heterosexual couple, let’s say the decision would be made too quickly, and it is not going to be the guy. With that said, gay people have flaws and have horrible families, but with media depictions of gay couples, we are still at the Sidney Poitier stage of acceptance where they have to be better than everyone and willing to sacrifice themselves for homophobic humanity….They are not Jesus. Ew. I am tired of minorities, even two with more privilege than most other minorities, be more noble and self-sacrificial than everyone to win over an audience. I know that we have been groomed since stories of Abraham and Isaac to think that human sacrifice may be cool, but no. If people only become human beings for what they do for you, that is called transactional love, not unconditional. Do better!
“Knock at the Cabin” has some humor. When Andrew accuses the four strangers of targeting them because of their sexual orientation, the four fall all over themselves to explain that they are not homophobic, and while it is believable because this movie is one dimensional, no nuanced layers here, who is going to tell the writers and Shyamalan that homophobic or racist would claim the same things. If you start citing your bones as free of bias, the lady doth protest too much.
If I ever rewatch “Knock at the Cabin” again, it will be to rewind and pause one scene to see if Daddy Eric lost his mind. It was shot perfectly. Despite everything I wrote, I did not hate the movie, but it feels like a throwback.
What would I do? Y’all are dying. If they are nuts, the police are throwing me in jail. Nope. If they are right, I can’t kill someone I love even with permission and under the condition that I will get a legal free pass. I can’t kill someone I hate. If someone tried to fight me, human instinct may kick in, and I’d fight, but this scenario? Y’all are dead. Sorry, not sorry. Also with the added bonus that I will live and not get bothered. The key is just to die before your other family members so you don’t starve to death.