Knock at the Cabin (M. Night Shyamalan, 2023)

by Elena Lazic

In M. Night Shyamalan’s Knock at the Cabin, gay couple Andrew (Ben Aldridge) and Eric (Jonathan Groff) and their young daughter Wen (Kristen Cui) have barely arrived in an isolated cabin in the woods when they are attacked by four strangers, who claim that if the family does not sacrifice one of their own soon, the world will end. It’s a compelling premise, but even more intriguing is the way the film intercuts the scenes in the cabin with moments from the couple’s past. Part of the reason for this is that Andrew suspects this might in fact be a homophobic attack, and is looking into his history for a potential culprit, someone he might have encountered before who wishes him harm. But that is not all: some of those moments are simply memories flashing before the eyes of members of the family as they face potential death. They add a touching humanity to an otherwise violent and gruesome film — when the time to make a sacrifice comes but the family refuses to make a choice, the attackers offer themselves up one by one, supposedly to delay the apocalypse.

But more than inject some humanity in the story and make us sympathise even more with these hostages, the flashbacks also contribute to building up these characters as much more complex, detailed, and humane than they initially appear.