Skip to main content

Let’s talk about “Knock at the Cabin”

 


What would you think if someone got into your house and told you that you need to sacrifice one member of your family or humanity will end? Wait, what? Yes, that’s the premise of Knock at the Cabin.

A little girl and her dads are on vacation in a cabin in the middle of nowhere when four people armed with strange weapons appear and say one of them should be sacrificed. 

Is this horror?

I’ve seen people rebuking the movie, and I get why, but let’s take a minute to think about it. Why do you feel so… well, nothing.

When the story starts, it is promising. It is not something you’ve seen a thousand times in other movies, and you can feel the tension. It is an impossible choice to make. Here, the problem starts: it creates expectations.

These expectations are not fulfilled. The movie is supposed to be a psychological thriller, but you never feel your heart race. Instead, it is slow and calm; all you see are four lunatics and one guy screaming at them. I believe the other guy is supposed to be in shock, but I’m not sure.

Incongruence and numbness

The plot has flaws and never a twist or anything that can wake you up from the numbness you start to feel along the way.

Why is their sacrifice going to save the world? Why would the others kill themselves when they fail to convince the family? Why is everyone so calm at the bar in the end? Why is the little girl so calm too? Isn’t she upset that she lost a dad?

Knock at the Cabin lacks logic and, more importantly, emotion. Yet, don’t think for a minute that the cast is guilty of any of this. The cast is good. I wouldn’t say Oscar-worthy, but good enough. The little Wen (Kristen Cui) is perfect, a great actress, no doubt. 

We expected more

I always feel disappointed when a movie ends, and I feel nothing. In this case, it started in a good direction. Then, suddenly, it looked like they needed to finish it as fast as possible, and started making many bad decisions. So, the disappointment was even bigger.

I believe Shyamalan wanted to give us something to think about - what would you do? It worked in the first 20 to 30 minutes. No more. It is simply about a particular morality and becomes repetitive.

If would I recommend the movie? Well, if you don’t have many things to do (or watch), and your expectations are low, then yes. It is different, so it may be interesting, but it definitely lacks something. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Emily in Paris 3: The Good, the Bad, and the Unrealistic

  The third season of Emily in Paris got a lot of hate and love among the viewers. People can’t decide if it was the best season or the worst of all. And I understand why. We start the season with Emily’s life in perfect chaos, and she doesn’t seem to know what she wants. She never does… Is this good for the plot? Maybe. Is this annoying? Sometimes. So… why can’t we stop watching it? Are you feeling frustrated? Me too. She doesn’t know what she wants. She can’t make a decision, not in her love life, not in her job… And it is not because she wants it all. She is not mature enough to say no and own her decision and its consequences. Emily comes across as a spoiled little girl. The problem is that she is the main character, yet, Mindy starts to feel way more interesting than her. Also, any other character on the show is funnier than Emily, namely her co-workers, who apparently are very bad at their jobs and need her to save them with every single client… How did they keep the company...

Gender, Power, and Cigarettes: Why 'Mad Men' Still Resonates

  Mad Men is a masterpiece of television that blends sharp storytelling with striking period detail, offering a reflective glimpse into the 1960s.  The series follows Don Draper and the high-stakes world of Madison Avenue advertising, all while painting a vivid picture of the era's societal norms, especially the rampant sexism and rigid gender roles.  It's both mesmerizing and infuriating, particularly in its honest depiction of how women were treated. Strong Emotions The show’s brilliance lies in its ability to evoke strong emotions—its subtlety, exceptional writing, and rich characters draw you into a world that feels both foreign and disturbingly recent.  The meticulously crafted period aesthetics are complemented by historical undercurrents, from civil rights to cultural shifts, which remain integral yet never overshadow the deeply personal dramas of the characters. Wait For the Impact Mad Men doesn’t rely on flashy plot twists; instead, it uses nuanced storyte...

The Lying Life of Adults - Review

  The Lying Life of Adults shows us, once more, that the teenage years and growing up can be painful.  Giovanna is the main character of this story, and she is feeling all the fast changes adolescence demands in a deeply divided town. Before this situation, her body and her opinions and desires are changing fast. Perhaps, too fast. Parents aren’t perfect. It is usually in those teenage years that we realize our parents aren’t perfect. They are humans with all the flaws that that implies. Giovanna is no different. Her parents are not as she thought they were, and her perfect family isn’t perfect at all. Those adults, those references that she admires, hide things, lie, and do things that she considers wrong. They are like everybody else. They are not heroes. When we realize that our parents are not the superheroes we believed they were when we were very young children, it can hurt.   Why is it so important? Because when we realize they also can fail, with the destruc...