It’s a great week for big screen releases that talk to grown-ups, as they feature complicated situations and tough choices – though one is definitely more highbrow than the other. Meanwhile, don’t forget that the Joburg Film Festival is still under way until this Sunday, 5 February, packing in dozens of movies from around the world, including over 40 premieres from across Africa.
Knock at the Cabin
Based on The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul G. Tremblay, this apocalyptic thriller comes from The Sixth Sense, Signs and Old filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan. While vacationing at a remote cabin, a young girl and her dads are taken hostage by four armed strangers who demand that the family make an unthinkable choice to avert the apocalypse. The cast includes Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, Nikki Amuka-Bird, and Rupert Grint.
Like all Shyamalan movies, it’s best to go in cold for maximum unnerving effect, but the first trailer below doesn’t seem to give too much away.
The Banshees of Inisherin
If you’re someone who likes to have an informed opinion come Oscar night, then you definitely want to catch dark comedy drama The Banshees of Inisherin, which is in the running for nine Academy Awards this year, and has racked up loads of accolades in general over the 2022-2023 award season.
The film reunites writer-director Martin McDonagh with his In Bruges leads Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell for a tale of two lifelong friends on a remote Irish island who find themselves at an impasse when one unexpectedly puts an end to their friendship. Strong wills clash, leading to a shocking ultimatum, while others (played by Kerry Condon, and Barry Keoghan) are drawn into the drama.