Shyamalan Defies his Own Formula with "Knock at the Cabin"

Release Date: February 4, 2023

Platform: In Theaters

---

RATING: 🪓 🪓 🪓 / 5

---

**WARNING: MILD SPOILERS AHEAD**

Since the five-year pinnacle of his directing career that began in 1999, M. Night Shyamalan has mostly failed in his follow-up attempts to enthrall audiences with the shocking twists on which he built his career. As he brings a new adaptation to the screen, Knock at the Cabin, Shyamalan found himself tested with balancing the thrills of a story along with well-formed characters and existential dread.

Based on Paul Tremblay’s 2018 novel The Cabin at the End of the World, the narrative is centered on Andrew (Ben Aldridge) and Eric (Jonathan Geoff), a couple who is vacationing with their young adopted daughter, Wen, portrayed by Kristen Cue in her debut film. After their arrival to an isolated cabin, they are soon held hostage by four strangers citing an impossible demand: the family must sacrifice one of their own in order to stop the apocalypse. As they spend time with their unusual captors, Leonard (Dave Bautista), Redmond (Rupert Grint), Adriane (Abby Quinn), and Sabrina (Nikki Amuka-Bird), the family seeks to shatter the hoax behind their captors shared delusions. As tensions mount, Andrew and Eric are provided evidence that seemingly validates the gravity of their situation and pushes them to confront the boundaries of their beliefs.

This movie, interestingly, follows every ingredient of an M. Night Shyamalan story up until you are hit with its twist: that it is actually the antithesis of his signature formula. Shyamalan defies expectations with Knock at the Cabin by maintaining a small, tight story that is absent of any real shock. That is even more surprising considering the source material includes a moment that could have provided a Hereditary-level swerve, but was consciously left out of the film adaptation. The first half of the movie wastes no time in building a foundation of tension with strong character moments and smartly establishing the rules regarding the family’s dilemma. But without a strong climax, the second half of the film is very deflated and does not capitalize on its stronger aspects. In trying to build a dilemma that is rooted in religious philosophy, the greater focus on dialogue and character motivations was left without enough of a hook to make it feel meaningful.

From the focus on character work comes the brilliant effort from Dave Bautista as Leonard, the leader of the religious devotees, who end up identified at one point as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. A part of the intrigue from his performance is how unconventional he looks in the part of a mild-mannered second grade teacher with his large frame and tattoo sleeves. It only helps support his character work, though, as he essentially serves as the lead in the story and builds such a dichotomous perspective of the character. There is very little that can be said against the entire ensemble’s performance, with every actor pulling their weight in their roles, specifically noting Cue, Amuka-Bird, and Aldridge. There were times, though, that some of the characters' delivery felt more akin to a stage play than a feature film, but that experience may have been impacted by the use of space and close-ups in the camerawork. It is a bit disappointing that Grint was given such little screen time, though he was essentially playing his same character from Servant, another Shyamalan involved production. The characters and their motivations were interesting, but the movie felt lost in its weight, tone, and payoff.

The spectrum of religious fanaticism is represented across the variety of characters, from pure logic (Andrew) to pure faith (Leonard) and many points in between. The story's underlying plot thread focuses on the consequences of decisions that are made on the basis of one's beliefs. However, the repercussions of the family’s actions, or lack thereof, up until the end are only in the abstract sense, with questions surrounding the validity of the apocalyptic events. Even with the flashbacks building sympathy for the family’s bond, there is not as much weight behind what is happening to them when compared to the fates of their captors or what is happening to countless others in the world. The emotional climax falls flat without a clear cut tragedy to validate the sequence of events that led to the ending. Speaking of, the story concluding with a hopeful ending not only feels unearned, but does not leave enough to ponder regarding the philosophical commentary on belief that underlies the characters' motivations.

From the sense of an interesting story, Knock at the Cabin offers a good premise and strong characterizations that pull along intrigue and tension for the better half of the narrative. As it leans into its closing act, however, it abandons its tense formula for a climax riddled with philosophical focus that cannot bear the tone or expectations the story sets. Considering the absolute failure in every aspect of his most recent film, Old, Shyamalan can breathe a sigh of relief that his tight adaptation shows he can still string audiences along and bring out strong performances from his actors. The question remains, though, why he elected to leave out the more shocking story developments from the source material and leave the film’s impact an incoherent mixture of dullness and hope.

---

If you enjoyed this content, please follow Geeky Therapy on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date with all posts and reviews.

---