Knock at the Cabin director M. Night Shyamalan answers criticisms thrown at his movies for frequently using twist endings. Thriller is the most well-known staple genre found in most of Shyamalan’s films, and fans have started wondering if the filmmaker has a fondness for surprise endings.
Shyamalan has produced a number of thriller films over the years, such as The Village, Signs, The Happening, The Visit, and Old, among others. Many believe that the director makes this his signature technique, and it starts to become a stereotype.
M. Night Shyamalan On Critics Bashing His Signature Twist Endings
M. Night Shyamalan spoke with UNILAD to address the issues surrounding his moviemaking style. He also shared his process when it comes to conceptualizing stories and the formats he finds engaging to explore:
“I don’t think about it. If I was being critical about criticism, their track record in art has not been the greatest. It’s our jobs as artists to power our new voices into the mix. We’re not asking is there an available seat that fits us.”
The filmmaker also noted that he does not want to be defined and enclosed in a box, and this is also something he wants the audience to feel and experience through his films.
“I make mysteries, so ultimately there are answers to those mysteries that kind of naturally come with the type of stories that I tell. My whole job is to make everybody give up on trying to define things and just be like, ‘He’s just making another one. Wow, this one’s different than the one before, it has a different flavour and different things that are good about it.’ I have a tendency to be drawn to something that just feels fresh and that I haven’t felt before.”
He also shared that he wants his characters complicated and his plot non-linear. Shyamalan finds this approach riveting.
“I don’t mind killing off anybody, I don’t mind making bad guys really complicated and sympathetic. I find the format of telling stories very interesting, so thinking about a beautiful story and when does a character come into it. It’s a really cool part of the process, not telling it linearly.”
Indeed, The Sixth Sense director is unbothered when it comes to people criticizing his style, and he chooses to be different instead. He calls these criticisms “irrelevant”.
Does Knock at the Cabin Feature A Twist Ending?
The audience who have seen Knock at the Cabin are probably wondering about the ending – is it another surprise finale, or did M. Night Shyamalan break his long streak of twist endings? As far as the viewers can see, there are no visible signs that the filmmaker will give up incorporating twist endings in his future projects.
Critics and fans have acknowledged Knock at the Cabin as one of Shyamalan’s best works, and even though it has a 68 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, most reviews are positive.
The director recently revealed that he is currently working on multiple ideas for films. It usually takes him six to nine months to finish a script, and with this thought, Shyamalan could be painting new pictures right at this moment.
Source: UNILAD
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