Directed By M. Night Shyamalan

Starring – Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Kristen Cui

The Plot – While vacationing, a girl (Cui) and her parents (Groff and Ben Aldridge) are taken hostage by armed strangers who demand that the family make a choice to avert the apocalypse.

Rated R for violence and adult language

Knock at the Cabin – Official Trailer – YouTube

POSITIVES

If you had any reservations about the auteur side of Shyamalan being dead and buried after disappointments like “Glass” or “Old”, where the ambition of the plot seemed to have gotten away from him, this film serves as a reminder to fans and critics alike that this man is still one of the very best in the industry at ratcheting the kind of seamless tension in execution that consistently maintains the urgency and vulnerabilities of the characters involved. This element alone manages to grip audiences towards an undeterred level of investment throughout the 95 minute run time, even without the rarity of him incorporating a late act twist to reshape the many dynamics, but it’s equally valued in his relatability towards conveying the element of human nature, in which audiences will easily immerse themselves in the plights of the protagonists and the complexities that resonate as a result of selfless human sacrifice, and what is worth saving in a cold and unforgiving world with its own lukewarm feelings towards the movie’s gay protagonists. Because of such, he’s someone who is great at imbedding food for thought with each side of the monumental power struggle, while fleshing out as many as seven respective characters on each side towards feeling anything other than one-dimensional. Because neither really meets the requirement of what we define as an antagonist, it endears appreciation and investment to the value of the conflict, and in turn constantly pushes intrigue as to the honesty and transparency of the group’s strangely prophetic beliefs. Equally invigorating towards the interpretation are the elements of production that play vividly towards the aforementioned thickness of the surrounding tension, with off-centered framing in tilting and cerebral movements of the lens from cinematographer Jarin Blaschke’s, which consistently articulate an unnerving conscience to the ambiguity of the characters and their initial interactions. On top of this, the score from Herdis Stefansdottir, a first time collaborator with Shyamalan, is an exhillarating panic attack of instrumental capacities, complete with persistent beating and long-note lingering that cohesively registers an atmospheric echoing with what’s transpiring in visuals, marrying the capacities as one cohesive layer of consciousness that proves consistency all around. The performances are also integral, with Bautista showcasing a sincerity for sensitivity to the unfortunate objective and intimidating presence that constantly tower over his opposition, and the chemistry of Groff and Ben Aldridge seamlessly solidifying the bond of a lived-in married couple, with so much warmth and affection not only in the way they interract, but also how they look at each other. But the heavy lifting is sometimes done by the smallest figures, and in this respect, 9-year-old Kristen Cui’s preciousness is too piercing not to invest in her plight. The little girl goes toe to toe with Bautista during an uneasy introduction that capably sets the pace and stakes for the rest of the film, but an evolution that the youngster never gets lost in, instead serving as the heart and innocence of what continuously hangs in the balance, with stares into the lens that stung my soul for the inevitability that she can never quite escape from.

NEGATIVES

Aside from a trailer that I felt gave away far too much in the marketing of a movie without its own monumental plot twist, the film itself is marred by a few aspects to its storytelling that took away from the desired landing of the movie’s execution, and leaving it somewhere in the middle of Shyamalan’s 50/50 kind of success with his projects. For starters, the film could’ve definitely been a little longer, as 95 minutes does keep it endearing from the beginning of the film until the end, but I wish more of the character visions and their objectives were fleshed out in a way that made it easier to understand the who and why’s of this cryptic conflict. Why this cabin? Why these people? These are questions that are merely hinted at, without feeling fully answered, and in tow we receive various flashback sequences that more often than not added nothing to the dynamic of the situation or the characterization of the character before us, while continuously breaking the attained tension of the scene or sequence in the foreground of the current day narrative. Beyond this, I feel like the climax of the movie fell a bit flat with the desired intention, especially considering the resolution of the conflict essentially could only move in so many directions without the benefit of one of Shyamalan’s legendary twists elevating its meaning. This is not to say that the ending is predictable with where the film takes us, just that the minimizing of the effects work and documentation away from the cabin left the universal conflict stalled in the complete bigger picture, while the resolution feels a bit too neatly convenient, especially since it kind of breaks the rules in what was previously established with the importance of Bautista’s group.

OVERALL
“Knock at the Cabin” isn’t quite on the level of the best of Shyamalan’s storied career, but it is a startling sizzler that you’ll want to wholeheartedly answer upon arrival, with auteur levels of production value serving as the welcome mat to the director’s return home. Bautista continues to impress, matching his physical attributes with a sensitivity to sincerity that makes Leonard the rare kind of antagonist we wholeheartedly care about, and within the film’s many talking points about religion, selflessness and environmental empathy, the film is able to make up in social commentary what it lacks in devastating impact, leaving this cabin with the kind of strong foundation that allows it to weather the storm of surface level storytelling.

My Grade: 7/10 or B-