In this section of our Colossus Movie Guide for Knock at the Cabin, we will discuss the meaning behind the movie’s title.
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
Why is the movie called Knock at the Cabin?
The answer to this question is simple enough, right? The movie is called Knock at the Cabin because…this family gets a knock at its cabin. Which leads to the chaos that ensues for the rest of the movie. But it’s what knock represents is really what we’re concerned about. Symbolically, it’s a much bigger conversation.
Often the phrase “knock knock” is used to describe a wake-up call. Or a reality check. You could be cheerfully living your life, pretending everything is OK—when you suddenly get that reality check. You’re happy, you’re living your best life, you’re free. But then, knock knock…here’s the real world to remind you just how small and insignificant you really are. To remind you of all the terribleness you’ve been hiding from.
This feeling is captured at the beginning of the movie. Eric and Andrew have secluded themselves in a cabin in the woods, away from civilization. They have physically (and metaphorically) separated themselves from a world that has discriminated their family situation. But the Four Horsemen show up to remind them that they cannot hide, that Andrew must deal with his trauma, that you have to make some sacrifices in order to find mental stability in such a cruel world.
This explains why Shyamalan starts with Wen and Leonard before moving onto Eric and Andrew. Wen is completely innocent about her family’s situation, viewing its predicaments with a childlike understanding. While Leonard is the calm, omniscient observer who’s come to bring bad news. He is sympathetic about all the bad things that happen to people…but knows they happen nonetheless. And you can’t hide from it. Wen and Leonard’s shared energy allows Shyamalan to set the table and whet the palate for the much bigger revelation heading towards Wen’s family: the apocalypse is coming. And it’s time to confront it.
Here’s a common sentiment felt by…well, just about everyone: “Why is this happening to me? What did I do to deserve this?” When you’re a good person and something bad happens to you, it can be difficult to process. We see this happen to Eric and Andrew, who don’t understand why the fate of their world has fallen on their shoulders. This is an extreme way of defamiliarizing that common sentiment: it can feel like the entire world is bearing down on us during those low moments. “I’m a good person,” you might think. “I didn’t hurt anybody. This isn’t fair!”
Well, knock knock, this is your reality check: life isn’t fair. And you can’t run from the cruelties of life and pretend everything is hunky-dory. Eric and Andrew have to figure some things out as a family if they want to continue to live in this world—because the world isn’t changing. Negativity will always invade your life. In Andrew’s case specifically, we see that he never fully dealt with his traumatic experience with Redmond. He let his disapproving father influence his outlook on the world. He allowed all that anger and negativity to push his career as a human rights lawyer. His journey in Knock at the Cabin is to deal with all those anxieties and come out the other side ready to be a strong father for his daughter in such an unforgiving world. If you want to live here, if you want to thrive here, then at some point you must accept just how unfair life can be. That’s the only way to find yourself, to win the game of life.
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