![]() ![]() We have to make a choice: do we take it on faith that Eric saw what he saw, or do we adhere to the facts that we can see? The Bible and Knock at the CabinĪlthough Shyamalan was raised Hindi and does not openly profess any particular faith, Christianity has always played an important role in his films, particularly Catholicism and Episcopalianism. No part of the movie confirms Eric’s statement. Maybe the light takes a humanoid form for a frame or two, resembling the aliens from Cocoon more than a person, but there’s no conclusive evidence. Furthermore, Eric has already suffered a concussion, having been knocked out during the first tussle with Leonard and the others.Įven closely rewatching the movie after Eric’s claim, it’s hard to see a figure in the mirror. It could easily be a regular sunbeam, coming through the window and hitting the mirror just right, something we’ve all experienced. In between close-up shots of Eric’s face, highlighting the hope and wonder overtaking him, we see a beam of light come in from the left side of the frame and strike the mirror on the back wall, filling the screen for a moment.ĭespite the music sting that accompanies the light, it’s possible to explain away Eric’s vision in mundane terms. In short, the apocalypse was real, and Eric’s sacrifice prevented it.īut before that happens, the camera starts following Eric’s perspective. After his death, Andrew and Wen drive away, learning from news reports that disasters seem to be averted and things are getting better. Of course, it happens while the world does indeed seem to be ending, with a horrific storm oncoming and planes falling out of the sky. Instead, Eric chooses to sacrifice himself, a decision he makes peacefully and full of love for his family. No, Wen does not die in Knock at the Cabin. While it might be a stretch to say that the movie has a happy ending, it certainly makes things more literal. The story closes with Andrew and Eric choosing not to sacrifice one another, leaving the cabin to face whatever is out there. But because Wen did not choose to die, her death did not satisfy the demands of the universe or deity, and a sacrifice was still needed. In the climax of the novel, Wen is shot and killed while Eric and Andrew wrestle with Leonard for his gun. The novel leaves all possibilities open, up through the end of the story. In keeping things ambiguous, Shyamalan follows the source material, the novel The Cabin at the End of the Worldby Paul G. But Andrew insists that the quartet are, at best, suffering a mass delusion and, at worst, a hate group intentionally targeting a gay couple. Leonard explains that he and the others have never met one another, but they’ve been receiving visions instructing them to come to that cabin and make a demand of the family living there. That tension between faith and fact drives much of Knock at the Cabin, as Leonard and his comrades insist that they’ve come to Eric and Andrew, not willingly, but driven by a mysterious force. Jackson) machinations in Unbreakable or Casey’s ( Anya Taylor-Joy) scars in Split, they have an unreality that feels more like stuff of magic than a lab. Even when the twist involves a “scientific” or psychological revelation, such as Mr. But a similar thing happens in Signs and Lady in the Water. That’s most clear in his breakout The Sixth Sense, in which Malcolm’s ( Bruce Willis) condition explains the isolation he experienced throughout the movie. After all, Shyamalan has made his name telling stories with supernatural twists, which change everything that come before. On one hand, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if Eric did see something supernatural in the mirror. What exactly did Eric see in the mirror? Did we see it as well? And what does that mean for the movie’s themes? Knock at the Cabin vs The Cabin at the End of the World We viewers are just as shocked as Andrew, filled with questions. As Andrew eventually realizes, Eric’s experience changes everything about their situation, making them not victims of a homophobic hate group, but part of a larger cosmic struggle. This confession plays a pivitol role in Knock at the Cabin, the latest twisty film from director M. ![]()
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