ric and Andrew just wanted to get away. When the married couple at the center of M. Night Shyamalan’s new thriller, Knock at the Cabin, took their daughter to a rustic lodge in the Pennsylvania woods, they hoped to escape the demands of a world that hated them simply for existing. They wanted nothing more than to focus on only themselves.
Even if you haven’t experienced the hate crimes inflicted upon Eric and Andrew, you can probably relate. We’re constantly being overwhelmed with information about crime rates, foreclosures, rising inflation, and other maladies.
But among the many hardships put upon the family in Knock at the Cabin, none are more demanding, or vital, than seeing beyond themselves. No matter how badly they need—and deserve—to ignore everyone else, the movie insists that we’re always connected, always immersed with one another, and always responsible for each other.
Adapted from the Paul Tremblay novel Cabin at the End of the World, Knock at the Cabin begins in the peace of a verdant forest. Surrounded by the greens of a forest clearing illuminated by the sun’s soft glow, little Wen (Kristen Cui) plays without a care in the world, until she’s greeted by a stranger called Leonard. Despite his intimidating physique, Leonard—beefy former wrestler Dave Bautista, in a revelatory performance—exudes meekness, showing nothing but kindness to Wen.