M. Night Shyamalan will never regain the pop culture cache
he had twenty years ago but I’m happy to see he continues to craft excellent genre
films. I think the main reason I have loved his last few movies is that he has
stuck to adapting other’s work. Doing this gives him the freedom to find great
stories and bring his greatest talent to bear – his skill as a director. Shyamalan
has always understood how to not just frame his images but he grasps how to stage
his shot choices for maximum effectiveness. He knows how to build a well edited
scene that communicates every needed detail clearly but never feels as if we
are being force fed exposition. He does not waste shots and each scene leads logically,
visually to the next giving his work a natural feel that can have many
different effects on the viewer. If he continues to choose interesting stories
to tell he may still be making good, interesting movies into his dotage.
KNOCK AT THE CABIN (2023) is a perfect example of finding an
engrossing story and shaping it intelligently for the big screen. I’ll shy away
from describing the tale as I think that the trailer gives a little too much
away already, but I think Shyamalan’s casting choices were inspired. Each role must
communicate a lot more than simple surface information and the actors are
exceptional at showing nuanced fears and conflicting wishes. Often we witness
characters having to act in ways alien to their natures and the emotions are
well handled. The film balances the possible reality of its dystopian scenario with
concrete reasons to doubt the dark events are as they seem. I will enjoy revisiting
this movie for many reasons and its fine cast is the top of that list.
The List
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