Welcome to our Colossus Movie Guide for Knock at the Cabin. This guide contains everything you need to understand the movie. You’ll find a quick explanation of Knock at the Cabin, as well as our library of material covering key aspects of the movie. We encourage comments to help us put together the best possible guide. Thank you!
The Quick Explanation
Knock at the Cabin is a film about moving forward in the face of adversity. In the case of Eric and Andrew, they face discrimination out in the real world as a same-sex couple raising a daughter. In particular, Andrew seems to be struggling with their situation: he had to attend extensive therapy sessions after Redmond attacked him in a bar years earlier; his parents greatly disapprove of he and Eric’s relationship; and as a human rights lawyer, he witnesses hate and discrimination on a daily basis. His entire life and career has been infected by the hate of the world, and it’s clear that he’s having trouble reckoning with that reality.
This dynamic is the emotional impetus for the entire film. You could view the cabin in the woods as a metaphor for escape: out here, Eric and Andrew can escape with Wen into the wilderness away from civilization. Anybody who has suffered an existential crisis, who feels out of place in an unseemly and unjust world can relate. We can fight for change all we want—but the world can beat us down so viciously that the desire to escape can overtake our being. Eventually, though, we must come back out. We can’t hide forever.
And sometimes other must help us realize that. As the Four Horsemen of Apocalypse, Leonard, Sabrina, Adriane, and Redmond epitomize the fear Andrew has for his family. As a gay man, he and his partner and his daughter are targets for hate and destruction. Allegorically, these four mysterious beings force Andrew to confront the hate, and the apocalypse forces him to face the destruction—if he can’t learn to move past his trauma and continue to fight for change, then, metaphorically, his world will end.
But Eric presents the promise of a better future. We can be forever tied down by hate and fear…or we recognize that there’s enough hope and love around us to help us move forward. Andrew has to accept Eric’s vision of the future: that Andrew will grow old and raise a daughter who is smart and capable and happy, who represents all the good parts of her fathers. Andrew can’t see it until Eric helps him see it. But as soon as he does, he’s emotionally ready to put an end to apocalypse, to restore order to the world and be ready to confront it once again.
Cast
- Dave Bautista – Leonard
- Jonathan Groff – Eric
- Ben Aldridge – Andrew
- Nikki Amuka-Bird – Sabrina
- Kristen Cui – Wen
- Abby Quinn – Adriane
- Rupert Grint – Redmond
- M. Night Shyamalan – Writer, director, infomercial host
Movie Guide
Title Explanation
What does the title Knock at the Cabin mean? What does it tell us about the movie’s intentions and storyline? Let’s figure it out.
Themes and Meaning
Discover themes that help us define Knock at the Cabin’s commentary, message, and meaning.
Ending Explained
If the ending of Knock at the Cabin confused you, this explanation will help you understand everything you need to know.
Important Motifs
Explore important motifs that indicate Knock at the Cabin’s most crucial moments of symbolism.
Questions and Answers
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