knock at the cabin

If you somehow managed to go into the new thriller Knock at the Cabin completely cold, it would be hard not to get sucked in by its audacious premise. Based on the novel The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay (a fact some have accused Universal of deliberately trying to mask, perhaps to better market it as an original M. Night Shyamalan concoction), the film opens with 7-year-old Wen (Kristen Cui) in the midst of catching grasshoppers when she’s abruptly approached by the hulking but soft-spoken Leonard (Dave Bautista). Their conversation unfolds in tight, slightly slanted close-ups - emphasizing key visual details, such as Wen’s cleft palate scar, or the furrows in Leonard’s scalp that look like they were cleaved with a garden hoe. Eventually Leonard makes reference to the job he’s there to do - “maybe the most important job in the history of the world” - and Wen is spooked by the appearance of his three armed compatriots (Nikki Amuka-Bird, Abby Quinn and Rupert Grint)… racing back to the Pennsylvania cabin she’s vacationing at with her two dads, Eric and Andrew (Jonathan Groff and Ben Aldridge). Before long, the quartet has forced their way inside and taken the family hostage, at which point Leonard emotionally informs them that the only way to avert the impending apocalypse is if they willingly sacrifice one of their own.

Shyamalan’s career trajectory over the past two decades has been fascinating. Hailed briefly as the next Spielberg after bursting onto the cinematic stage with The Sixth Sense and Signs, he eventually devolved into a laughingstock, turning out one critically panned misfire after another… but, in recent years, has achieved a certain creative equilibrium by deliberately working in a more low-key register. His output remains mixed, but focusing on lower-budgeted features with more modest ambitions seems to suit him. Unfortunately, his much-scrutinized shortcomings as a storyteller have come to overshadow his often perceptive instincts as a cinematic dramatist (in this case, he seems to relish the traditional challenge of how to film dynamically within the confines of a single location).  

That being said, those expecting the usual Shyamalan twists and turns may be thrown by how straightforward Knock at the Cabin turns out to be… how disarmingly literal its premise. The film has a peculiar tension, as Eric, Andrew and Wen aren’t in any mortal danger at the hands of their captors - rather, each time they refuse to make the sacrifice, one of Leonard’s herd is thinned (supposedly triggering a Biblical-level event somewhere in the world). So what happens if they simply wait out the clock? They’ll be cursed to wander an apocalyptic Earth, alone - at least, according to Leonard’s vision. This is yet another of Shyamalan’s earnest meditations on faith and love (previous results being, well… mixed (the climax of The Happening being the obvious nadir)). The sense of existential dread is present, but it never fully ignites. The problem, perhaps, is that the film should have been staged as a test of faith on both sides - leaving the audience snared and off-balance in the middle of a spiritual tug-of-war - but its approach is very much entrenched within a single-minded groove.  ​

If there’s a reason to see the movie, it’s Bautista’s affecting and deeply sorrowful performance. His eyes squint from behind spectacles perched in the center of his round, oak-like face… his movements hesitant, measured, almost timid - as if he’s afraid of his own physical power. Much has been made of the success rate of the most recent crop of pro wrestlers turned actors, with Dwayne Johnson exceptionally good at being a movie star (at the expense, perhaps, of his own versatility) and John Cena coming on strong as a comedic force. Bautista, in addition to his ongoing role in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, has headlined some pretty big movies (such as Army of the Dead), but he seems to possess the thoughtful soul (and unorthodox look) of a character actor. It’s a shame his rapport with Kristen Cui barely extends beyond the opening scene, because the two of them are quite wonderful together. Knock at the Cabin feels like minor Shyamalan - neither good nor bad enough to stake a claim at either end of his filmography - but there’s still a fundamental ingenuity that drives his work - a stubborn commitment to originality that few other A-list directors seem to share. It’s the reason he keeps making movies… and why we keep going to see them.