Shyamalan has a distinct energy and style to his films that can shine with the right cast and sink with the wrong one. Part of why Old didn’t quite work for me is the fact I don’t think most of the adult cast could key into that energy. It takes a particular type of actor to shine in his movies- either kid actors coming to it without cynicism and with the same passion Shyamalan does, or actors who come at it earnestly and find the core of what can be in the wrong hands stilted or unwieldy dialogue. This movie has both.
Kristen Cui joins the likes of Haley Joel Osment as a child actor Shyamalan guides to a natural and sympathetic performance. And the four who knock are all at their A game, all come at it with the right mindset and the required skill. Grint plays to ambiguity, able to convey atonement or resignation depending on the viewer’s eye. Quinn has a real naturalistic performance that elevates her role and makes it feel like an actual person. But Amuka-Bird and Bautista truly shine. Amuka-Bird is earnest throughout, a nurse who once swore to do no harm forced to do so to prevent the greatest amount of it, and you can see her wrest with this in every action and line. And she’s no superhero or villain; she’s allowed to be terrified, allowed to be vulnerable.
And Bautista. I could watch him in anything. Achingly empathetic, the ways his eyes well is spellbinding. Shyamalan gives him so much room to play with and so many angles to highlight his performance, rightfully so. His delivery alone when he tells them that he agrees they don’t deserve this got me choked up. His face when Cui tells her she has two dads; I think he pulled upon his own love and admiration for his lesbian mother, because it says so much and leaves it up to the audience why exactly it resonates so much with his character.
Yes, the CGI isn’t the greatest but I’m not really counting that as a knock. It’s not the point of the film or why anyone came. More unfortunate is the third act falters when Bautista exits, and it gets afraid people might miss the point so it stops to explain itself. It’s a shame cause there’s some interesting readings here if you let the film speak for itself. On one hand, yes, the lead couple’s love is pure and strong and a commentary on the power of chosen family. On the other, you could talk about the transracial adoption, and the assimilation and separation of these white cis upper middle class gay men seeing things as them specifically vs the Straight World. They never mention any of their community also at risk, the families like them, and that’s something meaty to chew on whether it’s intentional commentary on Shyamalan’s part or something he missed framing this as a sacrifice by the gays for a world that hates and fears them.
I also don’t think Groff and Aldridge are as dialed into Shyamalan’s vibe as much as the antagonists are. Lines don’t feel as natural on their tongues, exposed for their awkwardness. But A Knock At The Cabin is still an engaging watch if you open the door to it.
Review by JCVIP 4BlockedParent2023-02-19T05:21:21Z
Shyamalan has a distinct energy and style to his films that can shine with the right cast and sink with the wrong one. Part of why Old didn’t quite work for me is the fact I don’t think most of the adult cast could key into that energy. It takes a particular type of actor to shine in his movies- either kid actors coming to it without cynicism and with the same passion Shyamalan does, or actors who come at it earnestly and find the core of what can be in the wrong hands stilted or unwieldy dialogue. This movie has both.
Kristen Cui joins the likes of Haley Joel Osment as a child actor Shyamalan guides to a natural and sympathetic performance. And the four who knock are all at their A game, all come at it with the right mindset and the required skill. Grint plays to ambiguity, able to convey atonement or resignation depending on the viewer’s eye. Quinn has a real naturalistic performance that elevates her role and makes it feel like an actual person. But Amuka-Bird and Bautista truly shine. Amuka-Bird is earnest throughout, a nurse who once swore to do no harm forced to do so to prevent the greatest amount of it, and you can see her wrest with this in every action and line. And she’s no superhero or villain; she’s allowed to be terrified, allowed to be vulnerable.
And Bautista. I could watch him in anything. Achingly empathetic, the ways his eyes well is spellbinding. Shyamalan gives him so much room to play with and so many angles to highlight his performance, rightfully so. His delivery alone when he tells them that he agrees they don’t deserve this got me choked up. His face when Cui tells her she has two dads; I think he pulled upon his own love and admiration for his lesbian mother, because it says so much and leaves it up to the audience why exactly it resonates so much with his character.
Yes, the CGI isn’t the greatest but I’m not really counting that as a knock. It’s not the point of the film or why anyone came. More unfortunate is the third act falters when Bautista exits, and it gets afraid people might miss the point so it stops to explain itself. It’s a shame cause there’s some interesting readings here if you let the film speak for itself. On one hand, yes, the lead couple’s love is pure and strong and a commentary on the power of chosen family. On the other, you could talk about the transracial adoption, and the assimilation and separation of these white cis upper middle class gay men seeing things as them specifically vs the Straight World. They never mention any of their community also at risk, the families like them, and that’s something meaty to chew on whether it’s intentional commentary on Shyamalan’s part or something he missed framing this as a sacrifice by the gays for a world that hates and fears them.
I also don’t think Groff and Aldridge are as dialed into Shyamalan’s vibe as much as the antagonists are. Lines don’t feel as natural on their tongues, exposed for their awkwardness. But A Knock At The Cabin is still an engaging watch if you open the door to it.