Promotional materials for Knocking on the Door from Galapagos Films
Among Hollywood directors, it is impossible to find another such consistently enigmatic and unpredictable visionary as M. Night Shyamalan. The creator of the amazing The Sixth Sense , whose famous finale fascinated the film world in 1999, does not stop in his defiant vision of original cinema. With each subsequent story, he reminds us that the only thing you can be sure of in his films is the inevitable experience of surprise. After directing famous films such as: Osada , Split , and Znaki , he is now back with a new, very interesting film Knocking on the Door .
Promotional materials for Knocking on the Door from Galapagos Films
This is the story of two fathers and their little daughter, whose holiday vacation in a summer house in the middle of the forest is unexpectedly interrupted by four mysterious people, followers of the apocalyptic theory, convinced that the world is waiting for destruction, and the only way to stop what is inevitable is to make a sacrifice – sacrifice one family member. With limited access to the outside world, Eric and Andrew will have to make a dramatic decision very quickly as the end is getting closer.
Promotional materials for Knocking on the Door from Galapagos Films
The theme of the family, now returning in such an unobvious form, is crucial for almost all of Shyamalan’s filmography.
Being centered around the idea of a family is pretty much the only thing that’s consistent throughout his body of work,” says producer Marc Bienstock, who has made five films with Shyamalan.
The director also likes to challenge himself. This time he decided that the action would be limited almost entirely to one small space.
I’m very attracted to the stories of imprisonment and the idea of telling very big stories in very intimate films,” says Shyamalan. “This limitation, the contrast between the size of the story and the way we tell it, is very exciting for me.
In addition to the unusual story, Knocking on the door is also a very interesting film in terms of form.
It was a good opportunity for Night to really focus on the art of suspense,” says executive producer Steven Schneider. “One of his all-time favorite filmmakers is Alfred Hitchcock, and in a way, this film was Night’s opportunity to try to be very Hitchcockian. And that’s what he really does when it comes to composition of shots and the way he can build tension with every element of the film, from the casting and lighting to the editing and composition of the frames.
Shot on 35mm film, the picture looks extremely picturesque and amazingly artistic. Behind these photos is Jarin Blaschke – experienced in ambitious projectors bordering on horror, a permanent collaborator of, among others, Robert Eggers ( Lighthouse , Wiking ). In a very conservative and thoughtfully operating the camera, he draws the viewer into an emotional game. It does not show the whole action, sometimes it focuses only on the characters and their reactions to the presented events. Ultimately, however, it all adds up to a very coherent story. It’s a film about fear and uncertainty, about love and finally about sacrifice that can save the world.
Promotional materials for Knocking on the Door from Galapagos Films
Knocking on the Door is an adaptation of the novel by Paul G. Tremblay entitled The Cabin at the End of the World, which was awarded the Bram Stoker Award. The film debuted in Polish cinemas on February 3, and will be released on DVD on May 18.