Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Writer: M. Night Shyamalan
Cast: Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, and Kristen Cui
Eric and Andrew are spending some much-needed quality time with their young daughter Wan. The trio is enjoying a lovely lakeside afternoon when four strangers approach. After a brief struggle, the strangers force their way into the family’s cabin. The strangers come to deliver an unbelievable ultimatum, the vacationing family must decide which member to sacrifice in order to prevent the Apocalypse. Time is limited and a decision must be made before all mankind succumbs to a devastating end.
M. Knight Shyamalan ventures into religious allegories with this thrilling take on the “Rapture”. Christians the world over are well aware of the many miracles of the bible. The stories of Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus are familiar tales of sacrifice. Each story is a study of faith and the willingness to enact God’s will. Through this film, the director challenges our belief in the word and our ability to follow through when it’s our turn. Through this story, we see two different types of people, those who believe without question and those who question everything. The four “strangers” in the film are the latter of the two types, they accept their fate without question and are prepared to do whatever it takes to fulfill their mission. The menacing group shows up brandishing medieval “tools” and speaking only of the impending doom as foretold by shared visions. Though God nor religion are mentioned it is clear that they believe they were sent by a higher power. They try desperately to convince the family to decide and respond with gruesome overkill at each refusal. The family is the questioning type approaching the situation with logic and reason. The two dads struggle to find explanations for the stranger’s shared delusions. The family initially believes they were targeted for a hate crime but soon learns the hard truth. It isn’t their sexuality being questioned but instead their faith that will seal their fate. Tasked with the unthinkable they must decide if the strangers are to be believed or if they are just a group of weirdos being led by a psychopath. Even If the harbingers of doom are to be believed the decision is just as difficult. As a same-sex couple Is it worth it to save all of humanity, and live in fear of being attacked or ostracized simply for being in love? Or should they allow the world to end and live out their days together in peace? A thought-provoking film, to say the least, Knock at the Cabin will leave you questioning your faith and wondering what you’ll do when judgment comes for you.
KNOCK AT THE CABIN OPENS NATIONWIDE IN THEATERS ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3rd