Synopsis
“Knowing” is a science fiction thriller released in 2009 and directed by Alex Proyas, who is famous for visually ambitious films such as The Crow, and Dark City. The film features Nicolas Cage and interweaves mystery, apocalyptic drama, and speculative science fiction while addressing underlying issues such as determinism, fate, and the frailty of humanity in contrast to grand cosmic phenomena.
As the title suggests, the film starts by giving the audience a glimpse of a narrative in 1959. We are at Lexington Elementary School where children are drawing the future for a time capsule being buried. One of the students, Lucinda Embry, stands out from the rest by submitting a sheet filled with a sequence of numbers instead of drawing. Lucinda, who is depicted as a quiet and deeply troubled, often resided in her own world hearing whispers, goes to a strange episode where she loses time. Going back to the scene, we see her scratching numbers into a closet with scars on her fingers suggesting she is in a distressed state.
In 2009, exactly fifty years later, a time capsule was opened and given to a new set of students. The capsule was opened and shared with a new generation of students. Caleb Koestler, the son of MIT astrophysics professor John Koestler (Nicolas Cage), received Lucinda’s number filled paper. John, a grieving husband and father that has lost his wife in a tragic hotel fire, emotionally distanced from his son and who has lost all faith in the world’s randomness and chaos. He was a skeptic of religion, destiny, fate or anything of the sort.
John, still intrigued by the number sequences, starts doing some digging and to his shock finding out the numbers correspond to the dates, locations and death tolls of significant disasters in the last fifty years, including the hotel fire that claimed his wife. And most disturbingly, the paper is telling parts of the future which has not happened yet, suggesting that the paper is more than just predicting future events, but potentially suggesting something more sinister.
While working on the puzzle, John learns who Lucinda Embry is, and he goes on to find her now-adult daughter, Diana (Rose Byrne), and granddaughter, Abby. Though reluctant to confront her mother’s unusual legacy, Diana chooses to engage when the same whispering figures begin to appear around both Caleb and Abby. These ghostly men appear to be pale, silent, and of another world, yet guiding the children, offering them black stones and communicating with visions and whispers.
While racing to complete the last events on Lucinda’s list, John realizes the last prediction is not a localized disaster. Rather, it is a global extinction-level event, a massive solar flare that would make Earth uninhabitable. Attempts to alert authorities are met with disbelief, and John’s frantic desperation transforms into a resignation to the decision that the disaster is inevitable.
In the last scene, the unidentified beings—most likely aliens—offer Caleb and Abby a form of salvation. They board a glowing ship and are taken to another world to help pave the way for the new human civilization. Understandably, John does not accompnay them, so he goes back home to make amends with his father and the rest of the family. The film culminantes in Earth being consumed by a solar flare and Caleb and Abby starting their lives in an Eden-like place with twin suns, which brings a hopeful yet bittersweet feeling.
Cast & Performances
Nicolas Cage as John Koestler
Though often critized for being over the top, Cage delivers a calm and earnest performance of a grieving father and a scientist grappling with illogical forces. He skillfully depicts a reasonable shift from skepticism to a spiritual awakening.
Rose Byrne as Diana Wayland
Byrne’s portrayal of a woman who was emotionally abused by and eventually succumbs to hermother’s madness is explosive. Her performance roots the film’s more abstract ideas in emotion, a welcome appearing balance.
Caleb Koestler, Lara Robinson as Lucinda Embry/Abby
Young actors often do not deliver nuanced and emotional performances. However, in scenes with fear and awe, both exhibit strong emotional resonance.
Ben Mendelsohn’s part as John’s a co-worker is brief, but he serves as a skeptical academic voice and as one of the scientific characters in the film.
Directed by: Alex Proyas
Proyas’s unique style combines elements of supernatural horror, philosophical inquiry, and visual flair, resulting in a film that merges the deeply personal with the cosmically grand.
Written by: Ryne Douglas Pearson, with revisions by Juliet Snowden and Stiles White
Cinematography by Simon Duggan, and music composed by Marco Beltrami.
Themes & Analysis
- Determinism vs. Randomness
The film’s most profound philosophical question confronts whether the cosmos operate with a grand design, or if everything happens by chance. John, the scientist protagonist at the beginning of the film, is a staunch believer of randomness. However, the precise calculation of the number’s order forces him to welcome a grand design.
- Apocalypse and Renewal
Although Knowing is primarily an apocalyptic thriller, the film’s underlying message focuses more on the idea of rebirth. The final scenes evoke biblical and mythological tales of Eden, Noah’s Ark, and the rebirth that follows devastation. Caleb and Abby’s escape illustrates that some endings are also new beginnings.
- The Meaning behind a Parents’ Love and Burden
Initially in the film, John’s relationship with Caleb is emotionally absent and rooted in grief. As the story progresses, John rekindles the lost love and devotion he had for Caleb, and in the end, makes the ultimate sacrifice by giving his life for his son’s survival and future.
- The Blend of Science and the Supernatural
In the perspective of knowing, supernatural elements such as whispering entities and visions are intertwined with hard science. The hard science elements in the film include astrophysics, solar flares, and geospatial data. This fusion of genres gives the film the liberty of exploring the idea of how not everything has to be understood through empirical data.
- Alien or Angel?
The whispering entities are intentionally left open to interpretation. Are these aliens, angels or just some sort of guides? They appear to be all of the mentioned above; as aliens or angels, these advanced beings represent some sort of salvation. Their role suggests a blend of sci-fi with religion or theological images.
Visual and Production
The film depicts eye-catching visuals such as the plane crash, subway derailing, and a global catastrophe followed by other devastating disasters. The way these visuals are shaped gives off a terrifying sense of reality about the destruction of everything people can’t control.
Light and dark, chaos and order, modern technology with ancient mystery all illustrate Proyas’ stylistic visual emphasis. The terrifying and yet beautiful flames off the protective cities coupled with the light engulfing the departing children captures the viewer’s eye alongside the devastating apocalyptic imagery.
Critical Reception
At the time of release, Knowing garnered mixed reviews. Its ambition, suspense, and visual effects received praise. However, critics were split on the spiritual themes and the shift of genres. Nicolas Cage’s acting was agreed to be decent, and the film’s darker tone differentiated it from other disaster flicks.
While some viewers found the bold fusion of science fiction and existential ideas captivating, others thought the film’s religious imagery was over the top. Regardless of the mixed reviews, Knowing did well at the box office and gained a modest cult following, particularly among fans of philosophical and apocalyptic science fiction.
Conclusion
“Knowing” asks some the biggest questions of humanity: Can we predict the future? Are we alone in the universe? Is fate something we abide by or do we take charge of our lives? While it did not receive universal acclaim, the film provides a powerful, emotionally charged, and an incredibly appealing journey through science, myth, and the unknown.
Knowing is one of the many science fiction movies featuring disaster spectacle and tells an eerie tale of mystery within the movie. Its one of the movies which does not shy away from difficult questons and adds thrills to metaphysical reflection. The film does a good job addressing the hard issues in life: “What is the human condition, and how does one finds oneself in it?” You can interpret it in many way as a science fiction mystery, a warning tale, or a metaphysical allegory. It leaves an imprint in your mind long after the movie is finished, and it is a movie to remember due to unforgettable exploration of lot, love and the end of the world.
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