"Knock" Director M. Night Shyamalan This is also a drama about my family [Director's Interview Vol.299]

Director M. Night Shyamalan's new work always attracts attention because of its bold and unique story. In this episode of ``Knock: Visitor of the Apocalypse,'' the end of the world is prophesied, and players are forced to make the ultimate choice to avoid it. As a family of three spends a quiet time in a cabin deep in the forest, suspicious visitors appear and say, ``Choose one of your family members and sacrifice your life, or they will give you 7 billion dollars.'' It is said that all mankind will perish... A work that allows you to fully enjoy Shyamalan's unique world, with unpredictable developments and shocking depictions. We asked Shyamalan about his approach to the original work, his commitment to the cast and direction, and his current state of mind as a film director.

Index

• Fascinated by the original work, he took the initiative to write the script.
• Create the perfect image before shooting
• His original optimism is reflected in his style.

Fascinated by the original work, he took the initiative to write the script.

Q: Your previous work, `` Old '' (21), was based on a French graphic novel, and your current work, ``Knock,'' is also based on a best-selling novel. So you've had to "adapt" two films in a row, but is the process different from the original script?

Shyamalan: It's not an adaptation, but rather an "inspiration" from the original work. This time I was fascinated by the beautiful setting of Paul Tremblay's novel. I had no qualms about making changes based on my feelings towards the original work. I even changed the title to ``Knock at the Cabin'' (the original story was ` `The Cabin at the End of the World ''). When I told Paul about the changes in advance, he said, ``That's what I tried to do first,'' which made me feel at ease. When the original work exists, I feel like I can write the script with more momentum. The basic setting and characters have already been completed, and they are then developed for the movie.

Q: In the basic setting, the family of a gay couple and their adopted daughter is the same as in the original. Was there something special about it for you?

Shyamalan: I feel that the fact that the three members of the family, who are forced to make the ultimate choice, each have their own emotional scars, gives the story a poetic feel. As for my personal sympathy, my youngest daughter Shivani (third daughter) is also an adopted child. I think the feelings that my wife and I have for her were expressed in the movie. The orphanage that appears in the movie is modeled after the place where we traveled four hours to pick up our daughter. As we waited in the lobby, we looked at the paintings of Jesus Christ and children on the wall. I recalled those memories and recreated them in the movie, and the scene where the main couple meet their daughter for the first time and hold her in their arms was clearly directed with the emotions of the time. In a sense, you could say that this work is a drama about my family.

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Q: The story has some religious overtones, with the picture of Jesus Christ and the four people visiting the cabin being likened to the "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse." Does this reflect your religious views?

Shyamalan: I'm a spiritual person, but I don't have deep religious beliefs. Even though I attended a strict Catholic school for 10 years, my parents are Hindu. When it comes to religion and mythology, I feel like I approach it as part of storytelling. Both the Alien in `` Signs '' (2002) and the ghosts in `` The Sixth Sense '' (1999) are depictions of the world of mythology overlaid on the desire of ``what it would be like for humans to be like this.'' What do we replace the Bible and myths with in the real world? I guess I like imagining that. The four people this time may not look like the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse who make important prophecies. But that awkwardness makes the story interesting. Is this really God's prophecy? Was this family the right one to make the sacrifice? It makes me think about whether it's all a misunderstanding...

Create the perfect image before shooting