CAST: Dave Bautista, Rupert Grint, Johnathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, Kristen Cui, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Abby Quinn
DIRECTOR: M. Night Shyamalan
Demonstrating that brevity truly is the soul of wit, M. Night Shyamalan’s newest horror thriller, Knock at the Cabin, delivers on its premise and promise of a good film.
The story follows a couple (Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge) and their young daughter (Kristen Cui) vacationing in a remote cabin in the woods. All is well until four strangers appear asking the family to make an unfathomable choice: choose one of them to die or the world will end.
The performances were gripping and real; the fear palpable, the stress heavy in the air, the danger gripping and sharp. The excruciating choice placed on the shoulders of Andrew and Eric as they try to protect their young daughter is palpable. The story is interwoven with their story: how they met, how they came to be parents to their daughter, the battles they’ve had to fight just to earn the right to be together. Shyamalan tackles this with a sensitive and gentle hand, twisting that knife of choice further into his audience because of it.
The film is succinct and surprisingly well-paced. Sitting in a dark theater, every moment of tension was perfectly executed, with that severe edge palpably thick in the way we all held our breath. With a premise that plays on themes of love, family, and an impossible choice in the face of the end of the world, the story itself wasn’t unique in its narrative, but instead kept you engaged as you sat with the uncomfortable question: what if it’s real?
Knock at the Cabin releases everywhere this Friday, February 3rd.
