Knock At The Cabin (2023)
18/03/2022
M. Night Shyamalan has always had a talent for blending thriller with horror to create suspenseful scenes without the need for gore or jump scares.
Knock At The Cabin is a great example of this as it takes religious fanaticism to a whole other level.
When Leonard (Dave Bautista) and his group of prophets stage a home invasion on an unsuspecting couple and their adopted daughter, Andrew (Ben Aldridge) and Erics (Jonathan Groff) must decide between themselves on the ultimate sacrifice.
Sacrifice is an age old storytelling device that can be seen in both fiction, non-fiction and biblical scriptures. From the hero sacrificing his old life to embrace his journey, to Abraham needing to sacrifice his son for his lord, the will to sacrifice for others is a testament to ones faith and beliefs.
Bautistas nuanced performance in this film is the driving factor for why the this idea of sacrifice is so fascinating.
Unfortunately the film is held back by poor storytelling and a longer than needed runtime.
The film uses flashbacks to convey elements of Andrew and Erics past to get the audience to understand why they think they were chosen, however, at best these flashbacks could have been retold via the acting and dialogue of the family in the present, and at worst do nothing but pad out the runtime as the substance within them do nothing to heighten the experience, and actually retract from the story as we are forced away at odd intervals.
Knock at the Cabin fails at being a cinematic masterpiece, although the story succeeds in engaging with its audience on its subject matter, and the actors performance and emotional depth elevate the stakes of the story, setting up a thrilling climax that makes you ponder the significance of sacrifice.
