The Murky Gay Polics of ‘Knock at the Cab’ | Vany Fair

Contents:

• THE MURKY GAY POLICS OF KNOCK AT THE CABIS M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN’S NEW FILM GOOD FOR THE GAYS?BY RICHARD LAWSONFEBARY 3, 2023UNIVERSAL PICTUR / AARON RICKETTSSAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEWARNG: PRETTY MUCH THE ENTIRETY OF THE FILM KNOCK AT THE CAB IS SPOILED BELOW. ON PAPER, DIRECTOR M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN’S MYSTERLY GRIPPG NEW FILM KNOCK AT THE CAB ( THEATERS NOW) LOOKS LIKE SOMETHG QUIETLY REVOLUTNARY. IT’S A BIG STUD HORROR MOVIE OM A MAJOR DIRECTOR THAT STARS TWO GAY MEN, PLAYG GAY MEN. JONATHAN GROFF AND BEN ALDRIDGE ARE ERIC AND ANDREW, A MARRIED UPLE VATNG AT A RENTAL HOE WH THEIR YOUNG DGHTER, WEN (KRISTEN CUI). THE PROMOTNAL MATERIAL FOR THE FILM SUGGTS THAT KNOCK AT THE CAB IS SOMETHG RATHER NOTABLE: A WI-RELEASE PICTURE WHOSE LEADS— THAT CREAKY OLD PARLANCE—JT HAPPEN TO BE GAY. AS UNFOLDS, THOUGH, KNOCK AT THE CAB—WHICH IS BASED, WH SIGNIFINT ALTERATNS, ON PL G. TREMBLAY’S NOVEL THE CAB AT THE END OF THE WORLD—REVEALS THAT ERIC AND ANDREW’S GAYNS IS VERY MUCH AT THE CENTER OF THGS. OR, AT LEAST, CLOSE TO THE CENTER.A QUARTET OF MENACG, AND YET OVERWEENGLY IENDLY, STRANGERS BREAKS TO THE HOE. THEY TIE ERIC AND ANDREW TO CHAIRS, AND ANNOUNCE THAT THEY ARE ON A PERHAPS DIVE MISSN TO SAVE THE WORLD. IN ORR TO PREVENT THE APOLYPSE, ERIC, ANDREW, AND THEIR DGHTER MT MAKE A TERRIBLE CHOICE: ONE MT BE SACRIFICED AT THE HANDS OF THE OTHER. IT’S A PELLGLY DREADFUL SETUP, A TERRIBLE QUTN OF MORALY AND SELFLSNS—IF THE FOUR WEIRDOS ARE TO BE BELIEVED, ANYWAY. WHY WERE ERIC AND ANDREW CHOSEN? THEY DON’T OWN THIS B, WHICH HAS APPEARED THE FOURSOME’S END-TIM VISNS. SO WHAT DO THEY HAVE TO DO WH ALL OF THIS? ONE CLUE MIGHT LIE THE FACT THAT ONE OF THE PTORS, REDMOND (RUPERT GRT), IS EVENTUALLY INTIFIED AS THE MAN WHO GAY BASHED ANDREW AT A BAR SOME YEARS EARLIER. THAT EVENT TURNED ANDREW MEAN AND SPIC—HE BULKED UP AT A BOXG GYM, HE BOUGHT A HANDGUN FOR, ONE ASSUM, PROTECTN RATHER THAN OFFENSE. WHILE THE ASSAILANTS—JOG REDMOND ARE SCHOOLTEACHER LEONARD (DAVE BTISTA), NURSE SABRA (NIKKI AMA-BIRD), AND CHEF ADRIANE (ABBY QUN)—CLAIM THAT THEY HAD NO IA THAT A SO-LLED ALTERNATIVE FAY WOULD BE THE PEOPLE THEY FOUND THIS ALL-IMPORTANT B, THE MOVIE CERTALY DID. SO IS THIS THE STORY, AS ANDREW ANGRILY SISTS IS, OF RELIG OR OTHERWISE RADILIZED NUTS VLENTLY ATTACKG A GAY UPLE AND THEIR CHILD FOR THE O S OF BEG?READ OM A CERTA ANGLE, KNOCK AT THE CAB ULD BE DOG SOMETHG EVEN DARKER. AS THE FILM WEARS ON, TENSE EVEN S REPETN, BE CLEAR THAT THE DOOMSAYERS MAY ACTUALLY BE HARBGERS OF REAL DOOM. AFTER ERIC AND LEONARD REFE THEIR ASSAILANTS’ FIRST REQUT, A TSUNAMI STROYS THE PACIFIC NORTHWT. THE NEXT TIME, A TERRIBLE FLU, SEEMG TO TARGET MOSTLY CHILDREN, FLAR UP AROUND THE GLOBE. THEN PLAN START FALLG OUT OF THE SKY. PRR TO EACH EVENT, ONE OF THE FOUR TRS IS KILLED BY THEIR PANNS, AS WAS REQUIRED BY WHATEVER CELTIAL MANDATE THEY RECEIVED. ANDREW AND ERIC’S ACTN IS TH THE PASSIVE E OF ALL THIS HORROR, BOTH IMMEDIATE AND FARAWAY. BEE THEY N’T PUT THEIR PETTY NEEDS BEHD THOSE OF BILLNS OF PEOPLE, THE WORLD SUFFERS. IN THE END, ERIC AGRE TO BE SACRIFICED, AND IS KILLED BY ANDREW. WHICH, A POSIVE TERPRETATN, IS A WORTHY MSAGE ABOUT A PLA AILG AT THE HANDS OF HUMANS. KNOCK AT THE CAB MIGHT BE SOMETHG OF A CLIMATE CHANGE ALLEGORY, ONE THAT POTS A FGER AT A SGLE BOURGEOIS FAY AND ASKS, WHAT ARE YOU WILLG TO GIVE UP TO SAVE THE WORLD? IN REAL LIFE, WE HOPEFULLY WON’T HAVE TO KILL ONE OF OUR OWN K TO AVERT FURTHER TASTROPHE. BUT MAYBE WE’LL HAVE TO GIVE UP SUAL AIR TRAVEL, OR GAS-GUZZLG RS AND TCKS, OR DIVT OM DTRI (LIKE MEAT) THAT E SO MUCH DIRECT AND ANCILLARY HARM TO THE ENVIRONMENT. THAT’S A MORE TERTG ANGLE OF ATTACK THAN, SAY, THE CLUMSY MEDIA SATIRE OF DON’T LOOK UP. A BRACG JOLT LIKE KNOCK AT THE CAB, WHICH SHOV OUR OWN PLICY, OUR NARROW AND SELFISH THKG, OUR FAC, IS PERHAPS WHAT IS NEED, EVEN IF DIVIDUALS ARE ULTIMATELY ONLY SO EMPOWERED TO LSEN HUMANY’S RBON FOOTPRT. ONE DO WONR, THOUGH, IF THERE IS SOMETHG SISTERLY POTED THE FACT THAT ’S THIS PARTICULAR FAY RECEIVG THIS MSAGE. ARE ANDREW AND ERIC, THIS WELL-OFF WHE GAY UPLE WH THEIR LAND ROVER AND THEIR DGHTER ADOPTED OM EAST ASIA, MEANT TO BE DAMNG EXAMPL OF HYPOCRIL, PROGRSIVE, ASTAL HEEDLSNS? I DON’T THK THAT’S REALLY HOW SHYAMALAN TENDS —AT LEAST I’M TSTG HE DON’T—BUT THE MOVIE ULD BE SEEN AS MAKG THAT SE ANYWAY. KNOCK AT THE CAB CLOSE TO DRAWG A LE NNECTG S FOUR PROPHETS—WHO ARE, OF URSE, EVENTUALLY REVEALED AS STAND-S FOR THE FOUR HORSEMEN—TO THE MYRIAD NSPIRACY THEORISTS AND TER-ZEALOTS CURRENTLY MAKG SO MUCH NOISE OUR WORLD. MANY OF THOSE PEOPLE HAVE DREDGED UP OLD TALKG POTS AND BURNISHED THEM TO NEW WEAPONS, AMONG THEM THE NOX IA THAT GAY PEOPLE AND TRANS PEOPLE ARE G CIVILIZATNAL LLAPSE BY -OPTG CHILDREN AND UPENDG THE TRADNAL NUCLEAR FAY—WHICH IS, THE PEOPLE’S OUTLOOK, THE BEDROCK OF HUMAN EXISTENCE. IT IS ONE THG FOR A MOVIE TO TANGLE WH WHAT THOSE PEOPLE ARE SAYG. IT IS ANOTHER TO, AT THE END, PRENT A SCENAR WHICH THEY’RE KDA, MAYBE, SORTA PROVEN RIGHT. MOST POPULARRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHTHE ELVIS PRLEY WE DIDN’T SEE ELVISBY KATEY RICHRED, WHE & ROYAL BLUE: THE 6 BIGGT CHANG FROM BOOK TO MOVIEBY SAVANNAH WALSHOF URSE, LEONARD AND HIS HORT SIST THAT ANDREW AND ERIC BEG GAY HAS NOTHG TO DO WH THEIR ROLE ALL THIS. (IN FACT, LEONARD WONRS IF THEY WERE CHOSEN BEE THEIR LOVE IS “SO PURE”—A LTLE PATRONIZG, PERHAPS.) THAT SUGGTN IS THERE NOHELS, HANGG THE AIR OF THE FILM AS A NSERVATIVE SPECTER, ONE WE DON’T OFTEN TECT MASTREAM HOLLYWOOD FILMS THE DAYS. WHICH, I MT SHEEPISHLY ADM, MAK KNOCK AT THE CAB THAT MUCH MORE TERTG. AGA, SHYAMALAN IS, ALL LIKELIHOOD, NOT ATTEMPTG TO MAKE A CULTURE WAR METAPHOR THAT SIS WH THE RIGHT. HIS FILM ULD STILL BE TERPRETED THAT WAY, HOWEVER, SHOULD SOMEONE WISH TO. THE RISKS OF THAT—THE WAY KNOCK AT THE CAB, ACCINTALLY OR NOT, URTS AND EVEN V SYMPATHY TO ONE OF THE RIGHT’S MOST DANGERO SHIBBOLETHS—GIV THE FILM A SURPRISG, ALARMG, BUT NOT UNWELE EDGE. IT’S UNMON TO SEE A STUD FILM WHOSE POLICS—OR, AT LEAST, POLIL ALLNS—ARE SO MURKY AND OPEN SOURCE. THE MORAL AND SOCLOGIL NCLNS OF KNOCK AT THE CAB ARE, I’D IMAGE, CLEAR SHYAMALAN’S MD. THERE IS ROOM FOR THE VIEWER TO EXPLORE, THOUGH, TO WONR WHAT ’S REALLY GETTG AT. Y, ONE READ OF THE FILM LEADS TO SOME PRETTY BAD PLAC. BUT THAT THE FILM, RATHER THAN BEG DIDACTIC OR ANTISEPTIC, ALLOWS ROOM FOR THAT TERPRETATN DISTGUISH AS SOMETHG BOLD, SOMETHG DIFFERENT. I CERTALY DON’T WANT TO SEE A MOVIE THAT AGRE WH SOME OF THE CURRENT WORST OF HUMANY, THAT MANDS THAT A GAY UPLE AND THEIR ADOPTED DGHTER STROY THEMSELV TO SET CIVILIZATN BACK ON S TE URSE. AND YET, THE ELECTRIC CHARGE OF THE FILM, WHEN ONE PS AND THKS “WA, WHAT IS THIS MOVIE SAYG?,” IS GRIMLY VIGORATG. ONE PERHAPS OVERLY GENERO WAY TO LOOK AT KNOCK AT THE CAB IS THAT GIV GAY PEOPLE SOME GREE OF AGENCY OVER OUR POSN TODAY’S GHT DISURSE. IT DO NOT RENR ERT IOLOGIL CHS PIEC, NOR MERELY SILE AS RIGHTEO REPRENTATNAL HERO OUR OWN NICHE STORI. IT STEAD PUTS RIGHT TO THE MUCK OF MORAL (AND MORTAL) STGGLE, TO THE FIGHT OVER THE FUTURE OF HUMANY, GUNS AND FIRE POKERS HAND. COULD YOU LL THAT EMPOWERG? KNOCK AT THE CAB MAY SIST THAT S ALTERNATIVE FAY BATTLE AND NEGOTIATE ON THEIR AGGRSORS’ TERMS, BUT AT LEAST WE GET TO SEE THEM ACTIVE THAT WRTLG. THEY SEIZE THE WEAPON OF CHOICE—REALIZG THEIR PLACE NOT SO MUCH THE BURNG OF THE WORLD, BUT S TURNG. MORE GREAT STORI FROM VANY FAIRRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, INHERG GRACELAND, AND MORETE CRIME, TE FAH: THE SERIAL KILLER AND THE TEXAS MOM WHO STOPPED HIMCAN YOU NAME THE FILM THAT LNCHED BRIE LARSON, RAMI MALEK, AND MORE?THE ABSOLUTELY WILST DETAILS OF THE GOVERNMENT’S LATT INDICTMENT AGAST DONALD TMPIVANKA TMP IS NOT LETTG HER DAD’S MOUNTG LEGAL WO RU HER SUMMERINSI ETON COLLEGE, HARRY AND WILLIAM’S POSH ALMA MATERTHE 25 BT SHOWS ON NETFLIX TO WATCH RIGHT NOWFROM THE ARCHIVE: TOO HEPBURN FOR HOLLYWOOD (2006)RICHARD LAWSON
• KNOCK AT THE CAB PUTS A GAY UPLE APOLYPTIC JEOPARDY, FOR BETTER OR WORSE
• GAY JOK
• GAY PEOPLE JOK | UNCLEJOK
• GAY KNOCK (GALWAY COUNTY, CONNGHT)
• ‘KNOCK AT THE CAB’ STAR BEN ALDRIDGE GETS EMOTNAL RELLG COMG OUT AS GAY: ‘YOU’RE GOG TO MAKE ME CRY’
• "KNOCK KNOCK - GAY" JOKE

THE MURKY GAY POLICS OF KNOCK AT THE CABIS M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN’S NEW FILM GOOD FOR THE GAYS?BY RICHARD LAWSONFEBARY 3, 2023UNIVERSAL PICTUR / AARON RICKETTSSAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEWARNG: PRETTY MUCH THE ENTIRETY OF THE FILM KNOCK AT THE CAB IS SPOILED BELOW. ON PAPER, DIRECTOR M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN’S MYSTERLY GRIPPG NEW FILM KNOCK AT THE CAB ( THEATERS NOW) LOOKS LIKE SOMETHG QUIETLY REVOLUTNARY. IT’S A BIG STUD HORROR MOVIE OM A MAJOR DIRECTOR THAT STARS TWO GAY MEN, PLAYG GAY MEN. JONATHAN GROFF AND BEN ALDRIDGE ARE ERIC AND ANDREW, A MARRIED UPLE VATNG AT A RENTAL HOE WH THEIR YOUNG DGHTER, WEN (KRISTEN CUI). THE PROMOTNAL MATERIAL FOR THE FILM SUGGTS THAT KNOCK AT THE CAB IS SOMETHG RATHER NOTABLE: A WI-RELEASE PICTURE WHOSE LEADS— THAT CREAKY OLD PARLANCE—JT HAPPEN TO BE GAY. AS UNFOLDS, THOUGH, KNOCK AT THE CAB—WHICH IS BASED, WH SIGNIFINT ALTERATNS, ON PL G. TREMBLAY’S NOVEL THE CAB AT THE END OF THE WORLD—REVEALS THAT ERIC AND ANDREW’S GAYNS IS VERY MUCH AT THE CENTER OF THGS. OR, AT LEAST, CLOSE TO THE CENTER.A QUARTET OF MENACG, AND YET OVERWEENGLY IENDLY, STRANGERS BREAKS TO THE HOE. THEY TIE ERIC AND ANDREW TO CHAIRS, AND ANNOUNCE THAT THEY ARE ON A PERHAPS DIVE MISSN TO SAVE THE WORLD. IN ORR TO PREVENT THE APOLYPSE, ERIC, ANDREW, AND THEIR DGHTER MT MAKE A TERRIBLE CHOICE: ONE MT BE SACRIFICED AT THE HANDS OF THE OTHER. IT’S A PELLGLY DREADFUL SETUP, A TERRIBLE QUTN OF MORALY AND SELFLSNS—IF THE FOUR WEIRDOS ARE TO BE BELIEVED, ANYWAY. WHY WERE ERIC AND ANDREW CHOSEN? THEY DON’T OWN THIS B, WHICH HAS APPEARED THE FOURSOME’S END-TIM VISNS. SO WHAT DO THEY HAVE TO DO WH ALL OF THIS? ONE CLUE MIGHT LIE THE FACT THAT ONE OF THE PTORS, REDMOND (RUPERT GRT), IS EVENTUALLY INTIFIED AS THE MAN WHO GAY BASHED ANDREW AT A BAR SOME YEARS EARLIER. THAT EVENT TURNED ANDREW MEAN AND SPIC—HE BULKED UP AT A BOXG GYM, HE BOUGHT A HANDGUN FOR, ONE ASSUM, PROTECTN RATHER THAN OFFENSE. WHILE THE ASSAILANTS—JOG REDMOND ARE SCHOOLTEACHER LEONARD (DAVE BTISTA), NURSE SABRA (NIKKI AMA-BIRD), AND CHEF ADRIANE (ABBY QUN)—CLAIM THAT THEY HAD NO IA THAT A SO-LLED ALTERNATIVE FAY WOULD BE THE PEOPLE THEY FOUND THIS ALL-IMPORTANT B, THE MOVIE CERTALY DID. SO IS THIS THE STORY, AS ANDREW ANGRILY SISTS IS, OF RELIG OR OTHERWISE RADILIZED NUTS VLENTLY ATTACKG A GAY UPLE AND THEIR CHILD FOR THE O S OF BEG?READ OM A CERTA ANGLE, KNOCK AT THE CAB ULD BE DOG SOMETHG EVEN DARKER. AS THE FILM WEARS ON, TENSE EVEN S REPETN, BE CLEAR THAT THE DOOMSAYERS MAY ACTUALLY BE HARBGERS OF REAL DOOM. AFTER ERIC AND LEONARD REFE THEIR ASSAILANTS’ FIRST REQUT, A TSUNAMI STROYS THE PACIFIC NORTHWT. THE NEXT TIME, A TERRIBLE FLU, SEEMG TO TARGET MOSTLY CHILDREN, FLAR UP AROUND THE GLOBE. THEN PLAN START FALLG OUT OF THE SKY. PRR TO EACH EVENT, ONE OF THE FOUR TRS IS KILLED BY THEIR PANNS, AS WAS REQUIRED BY WHATEVER CELTIAL MANDATE THEY RECEIVED. ANDREW AND ERIC’S ACTN IS TH THE PASSIVE E OF ALL THIS HORROR, BOTH IMMEDIATE AND FARAWAY. BEE THEY N’T PUT THEIR PETTY NEEDS BEHD THOSE OF BILLNS OF PEOPLE, THE WORLD SUFFERS. IN THE END, ERIC AGRE TO BE SACRIFICED, AND IS KILLED BY ANDREW. WHICH, A POSIVE TERPRETATN, IS A WORTHY MSAGE ABOUT A PLA AILG AT THE HANDS OF HUMANS. KNOCK AT THE CAB MIGHT BE SOMETHG OF A CLIMATE CHANGE ALLEGORY, ONE THAT POTS A FGER AT A SGLE BOURGEOIS FAY AND ASKS, WHAT ARE YOU WILLG TO GIVE UP TO SAVE THE WORLD? IN REAL LIFE, WE HOPEFULLY WON’T HAVE TO KILL ONE OF OUR OWN K TO AVERT FURTHER TASTROPHE. BUT MAYBE WE’LL HAVE TO GIVE UP SUAL AIR TRAVEL, OR GAS-GUZZLG RS AND TCKS, OR DIVT OM DTRI (LIKE MEAT) THAT E SO MUCH DIRECT AND ANCILLARY HARM TO THE ENVIRONMENT. THAT’S A MORE TERTG ANGLE OF ATTACK THAN, SAY, THE CLUMSY MEDIA SATIRE OF DON’T LOOK UP. A BRACG JOLT LIKE KNOCK AT THE CAB, WHICH SHOV OUR OWN PLICY, OUR NARROW AND SELFISH THKG, OUR FAC, IS PERHAPS WHAT IS NEED, EVEN IF DIVIDUALS ARE ULTIMATELY ONLY SO EMPOWERED TO LSEN HUMANY’S RBON FOOTPRT. ONE DO WONR, THOUGH, IF THERE IS SOMETHG SISTERLY POTED THE FACT THAT ’S THIS PARTICULAR FAY RECEIVG THIS MSAGE. ARE ANDREW AND ERIC, THIS WELL-OFF WHE GAY UPLE WH THEIR LAND ROVER AND THEIR DGHTER ADOPTED OM EAST ASIA, MEANT TO BE DAMNG EXAMPL OF HYPOCRIL, PROGRSIVE, ASTAL HEEDLSNS? I DON’T THK THAT’S REALLY HOW SHYAMALAN TENDS —AT LEAST I’M TSTG HE DON’T—BUT THE MOVIE ULD BE SEEN AS MAKG THAT SE ANYWAY. KNOCK AT THE CAB CLOSE TO DRAWG A LE NNECTG S FOUR PROPHETS—WHO ARE, OF URSE, EVENTUALLY REVEALED AS STAND-S FOR THE FOUR HORSEMEN—TO THE MYRIAD NSPIRACY THEORISTS AND TER-ZEALOTS CURRENTLY MAKG SO MUCH NOISE OUR WORLD. MANY OF THOSE PEOPLE HAVE DREDGED UP OLD TALKG POTS AND BURNISHED THEM TO NEW WEAPONS, AMONG THEM THE NOX IA THAT GAY PEOPLE AND TRANS PEOPLE ARE G CIVILIZATNAL LLAPSE BY -OPTG CHILDREN AND UPENDG THE TRADNAL NUCLEAR FAY—WHICH IS, THE PEOPLE’S OUTLOOK, THE BEDROCK OF HUMAN EXISTENCE. IT IS ONE THG FOR A MOVIE TO TANGLE WH WHAT THOSE PEOPLE ARE SAYG. IT IS ANOTHER TO, AT THE END, PRENT A SCENAR WHICH THEY’RE KDA, MAYBE, SORTA PROVEN RIGHT. MOST POPULARRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHTHE ELVIS PRLEY WE DIDN’T SEE ELVISBY KATEY RICHRED, WHE & ROYAL BLUE: THE 6 BIGGT CHANG FROM BOOK TO MOVIEBY SAVANNAH WALSHOF URSE, LEONARD AND HIS HORT SIST THAT ANDREW AND ERIC BEG GAY HAS NOTHG TO DO WH THEIR ROLE ALL THIS. (IN FACT, LEONARD WONRS IF THEY WERE CHOSEN BEE THEIR LOVE IS “SO PURE”—A LTLE PATRONIZG, PERHAPS.) THAT SUGGTN IS THERE NOHELS, HANGG THE AIR OF THE FILM AS A NSERVATIVE SPECTER, ONE WE DON’T OFTEN TECT MASTREAM HOLLYWOOD FILMS THE DAYS. WHICH, I MT SHEEPISHLY ADM, MAK KNOCK AT THE CAB THAT MUCH MORE TERTG. AGA, SHYAMALAN IS, ALL LIKELIHOOD, NOT ATTEMPTG TO MAKE A CULTURE WAR METAPHOR THAT SIS WH THE RIGHT. HIS FILM ULD STILL BE TERPRETED THAT WAY, HOWEVER, SHOULD SOMEONE WISH TO. THE RISKS OF THAT—THE WAY KNOCK AT THE CAB, ACCINTALLY OR NOT, URTS AND EVEN V SYMPATHY TO ONE OF THE RIGHT’S MOST DANGERO SHIBBOLETHS—GIV THE FILM A SURPRISG, ALARMG, BUT NOT UNWELE EDGE. IT’S UNMON TO SEE A STUD FILM WHOSE POLICS—OR, AT LEAST, POLIL ALLNS—ARE SO MURKY AND OPEN SOURCE. THE MORAL AND SOCLOGIL NCLNS OF KNOCK AT THE CAB ARE, I’D IMAGE, CLEAR SHYAMALAN’S MD. THERE IS ROOM FOR THE VIEWER TO EXPLORE, THOUGH, TO WONR WHAT ’S REALLY GETTG AT. Y, ONE READ OF THE FILM LEADS TO SOME PRETTY BAD PLAC. BUT THAT THE FILM, RATHER THAN BEG DIDACTIC OR ANTISEPTIC, ALLOWS ROOM FOR THAT TERPRETATN DISTGUISH AS SOMETHG BOLD, SOMETHG DIFFERENT. I CERTALY DON’T WANT TO SEE A MOVIE THAT AGRE WH SOME OF THE CURRENT WORST OF HUMANY, THAT MANDS THAT A GAY UPLE AND THEIR ADOPTED DGHTER STROY THEMSELV TO SET CIVILIZATN BACK ON S TE URSE. AND YET, THE ELECTRIC CHARGE OF THE FILM, WHEN ONE PS AND THKS “WA, WHAT IS THIS MOVIE SAYG?,” IS GRIMLY VIGORATG. ONE PERHAPS OVERLY GENERO WAY TO LOOK AT KNOCK AT THE CAB IS THAT GIV GAY PEOPLE SOME GREE OF AGENCY OVER OUR POSN TODAY’S GHT DISURSE. IT DO NOT RENR ERT IOLOGIL CHS PIEC, NOR MERELY SILE AS RIGHTEO REPRENTATNAL HERO OUR OWN NICHE STORI. IT STEAD PUTS RIGHT TO THE MUCK OF MORAL (AND MORTAL) STGGLE, TO THE FIGHT OVER THE FUTURE OF HUMANY, GUNS AND FIRE POKERS HAND. COULD YOU LL THAT EMPOWERG? KNOCK AT THE CAB MAY SIST THAT S ALTERNATIVE FAY BATTLE AND NEGOTIATE ON THEIR AGGRSORS’ TERMS, BUT AT LEAST WE GET TO SEE THEM ACTIVE THAT WRTLG. THEY SEIZE THE WEAPON OF CHOICE—REALIZG THEIR PLACE NOT SO MUCH THE BURNG OF THE WORLD, BUT S TURNG. MORE GREAT STORI FROM VANY FAIRRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, INHERG GRACELAND, AND MORETE CRIME, TE FAH: THE SERIAL KILLER AND THE TEXAS MOM WHO STOPPED HIMCAN YOU NAME THE FILM THAT LNCHED BRIE LARSON, RAMI MALEK, AND MORE?THE ABSOLUTELY WILST DETAILS OF THE GOVERNMENT’S LATT INDICTMENT AGAST DONALD TMPIVANKA TMP IS NOT LETTG HER DAD’S MOUNTG LEGAL WO RU HER SUMMERINSI ETON COLLEGE, HARRY AND WILLIAM’S POSH ALMA MATERTHE 25 BT SHOWS ON NETFLIX TO WATCH RIGHT NOWFROM THE ARCHIVE: TOO HEPBURN FOR HOLLYWOOD (2006)RICHARD LAWSON

It’s a big stud horror movie om a major director that stars two gay men, playg gay men. The promotnal material for the film suggts that Knock at the Cab is somethg rather notable: a wi-release picture whose leads— that creaky old parlance—jt happen to be gay.

Tremblay’s novel The Cab at the End of the World—reveals that Eric and Andrew’s gayns is very much at the center of thgs.

One clue might lie the fact that one of the ptors, Redmond (Rupert Grt), is eventually intified as the man who gay bashed Andrew at a bar some years earlier.

KNOCK AT THE CAB PUTS A GAY UPLE APOLYPTIC JEOPARDY, FOR BETTER OR WORSE

So is this the story, as Andrew angrily sists is, of relig or otherwise radilized nuts vlently attackg a gay uple and their child for the o s of beg? Are Andrew and Eric, this well-off whe gay uple wh their Land Rover and their dghter adopted om East Asia, meant to be damng exampl of hypocril, progrsive, astal heedlsns?

Many of those people have dredged up old talkg pots and burnished them to new weapons, among them the nox ia that gay people and trans people are g civilizatnal llapse by -optg children and upendg the tradnal nuclear fay—which is, the people’s outlook, the bedrock of human existence.

GAY JOK

30 Kky Terms Every Gay Man Needs to Know. If gay life was a giant ballroom (and kd of is), kky leathermen have been lgerg the back, the shadows, for generatns. Long before hookup apps like Grdr and Scff, gay and bisexual men seekg sual sex wore lored handkerchiefs their pant pockets ditg what kd of sex they were seekg and whether they were a domant/top or submissive/bottom.

The lor is pretty extensive and clus var kks and fetish, and is still ed today by gay clothg brands like Nasty Pig and CellBlock 13 — and, obvly, by kky gay men.

GAY PEOPLE JOK | UNCLEJOK

But wh the three characters jeopardy a gay uple and their adopted dghter, the film morphs aga to somethg else, the horrors of realy forcg their way to the agile idyll of ’s a strange, at tim strangely not very good, movie (the Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw lled all “eply ridiculo”), but one that’s strangely fascatg for reasons might not always be gnisant of, existg a polil space that feels dly advertent and majorly glacially paced crease visibily for gay characters at the multiplex (om ongog blk-and-you’ll-miss- tokenism recent blockbters like Thor: Love and Thunr and Jurassic World: Domn to hard-to-miss centre stagg box office bombs like Bros and Spoiler Alert) has still, predictably, e wh veats and limatns. Box office ncerns, fear of alienatg the straights, tmp ’s somethg quietly monumental then about Shyamalan, a proud mercialist, turng his eye toward Pl Tremblay’s 2018 novel The Cab at the End of the World, an uneven yet eerie ltle nightmare that centr a gay uple and their adopted dghter. The uple assume, as many queer people would, that the vasn is a homophobic attack, that the zealots have crafted an elaborate scheme orr to punish them for their sexualy.

Regardls of tentn – and I genuely don’t believe that the film is g om a place of bigotry – there’s somethg almost il about the first ever glossy, wi-releasg stud thriller to centre gay characters hged on the ia that if they don’t rip apart their fay, God will punish all. We see the wav risg and ski fallg via news reports, each time they refe to do the unimagable, and the ntrast between two privileged gay men choosg their own safety and happs over the fate of the world be creasgly absurd, as if we have no choice but to root for their stctn. Along wh beg warned of “a lonely life” ahead or dangers over sexual health, a tired piece of fx ncern trotted out by homophob is that same-sex relatnships will ultimately lead to the end of the world, blogil differenc g a cimatn populatn (as if there would ever be enough gay people for that to be a ncern).

A tweet over the weekend scrib a showg at which a woman “cheered when bad thgs happened to the gay characters and loudly sang hymns through the creds” film is a more overtly relig tale than the book (a scene tailg how the four strangers are fact the four horsemen of the apolypse is one of many clunky new addns) and also mak the gay fay more obvly rponsible for the thoands of liv that are lost while they make their choice.

GAY KNOCK (GALWAY COUNTY, CONNGHT)

The book is some ways grimmer – the dghter gets killed accintally – but the film is more nclive: the stctn stops when the gay fay is no more (one dad is forced to shoot the other at the end).

‘KNOCK AT THE CAB’ STAR BEN ALDRIDGE GETS EMOTNAL RELLG COMG OUT AS GAY: ‘YOU’RE GOG TO MAKE ME CRY’

Cocintally, the film arrived jt days after an ter-breakg episo of HBO’s The Last of Us that broke off om the show’s ma narrative to tell of a gay uple also faced wh the end of the world (their story ends wh a double suici). His gay characters are too thly veloped and far too muted to be seen as people we should re that much about let alone buy as a uple (notably spe the R ratg, we don’t even get a kiss om the pair). The most proment piece of rmatn om their backstory is that one of them was vlently queerbashed a bar years earlier which led to the purchase of a gun, a red meat red flag that seems to smugly suggt that given a ltle ph, even those pearl-clutchg gay liberals will learn to appreciate a rightwg way of life.

"KNOCK KNOCK - GAY" JOKE

As someone who has craved more gay characters genre films, ’s a thrill to see them ont and centre, tryg to survive a suatn of high-stak jeopardy rather than dyg of Aids or providg advice to a straight women (I did get a thartilly gleeful kick om seeg one of the dads efficiently beat up one of the trs). This uld be seen as eher good (lns happy to see a gay-led thriller) or bad (lns happy to see a gay-led thriller where the gays are tortured) be nice to see queer characters ontg a sexy urtroom thriller or a glossy slasher not que so punishgly related to sexualy? The first homosexual romance the anchise occurred by accint when the Japane dub of Beast Wars rewrote the character of Airazor to be male.