A woman leaves a psychiatric ward after a nervous breakdown, only to start hearing mysterious knocking sounds in her apartment.
Chuck says:
To be sure, Molly (Cecilia Milocco) has had a rough go of it. In the past year, she’s tragically lost her lover, has had a nervous breakdown and, as a result, ended up institutionalized. Vulnerable, she’s gingerly reentering the world, armed with meds, a doctor who checks in with her and a new apartment. She’s tentatively trying to find her footing. However, when she attempts to sleep in her new digs, she hears a persistent knocking from above. She checks with and then interrogates her neighbors about the sound and all she gets are looks of disbelief. Then there’s that red spot on her ceiling that she scrubs away, only to see it reappear again and again. And what of the woman across the way who she sees commit suicide. Did it happen or was it all in her mind?
The Swedish import “Knocking,” is a slow-burn thriller that gets under your skin and festers. Reminiscent of “Repulsion” and “Dark Water,” director Frida Kempff keeps viewers on their toes, skewering the perspective throughout so that we’re forced to question whether what we see is real or a distortion in Molly’s troubled mind. The convention of the unreliable narrator is taken to the limit as the rug is pulled out from under us repeatedly, visions proven wrong again and again. We’re back on our heels throughout, which is the point.
Running a scant 78 minutes, Kempff takes a gamble, hoping viewers will stick with her slow-burn approach. While the film doesn’t meander, it certainly takes its time. We watch Molly cautiously settle into her apartment – a claustrophobic nightmare of dingy walls, tight corners and little breathing room, all seen through a jaundice haze, oppressive as it is dirty – learn how to interact with people again and start to take up everyday habits like shopping once more. That a stifling heat wave is going on as she reacclimates herself isn’t helping.
As the knocking continues and the looks of disbelief mount in number, Molly desperately tries to get someone to believe her. Milocco is then required to go from fragile to tattered and she’s more than up to the task. With the saddest eyes this side of your neighbor’s basset hound, the actress immediately has us in her corner. Vulnerable but fierce, as Molly’s desperation mounts, Milocco unravels right before our eyes, her appearance becoming ragged, her motions exaggerated and her eyes darting about, as if looking for something real and concrete to anchor herself to. It’s an exhausting, commendable performance that proves hard to shake.
Though made before the COVID-19 crisis hit, “Knocking” couldn’t be more timely as it focuses on the psychological damage that occurs when loneliness and isolation are forced upon us. In the end, the film effectively reminds us that we’re all teetering on the razor’s edge, the stress of daily life pushing us to a point where one traumatic event can send us over the edge. That Kempff has us walk in Molly’s shoes throughout drives this home with a sense of power and poignancy that’s all to relatable.
3 Stars
Pam says:
“Knocking” is a quietly riveting adaptation of the short novel Johan Theorin depicting a woman whose promising past is cut short by a catastrophic event. Molly (Cecilia Milocco) is that young woman whose life is changed by a tragic event placing her at a crossroads in life. Finding herself at a psychological institution to address her “issues,” Molly is released to find her own way. Her new home, a squalid room which at times seems to swallow her whole, provides no solace. She hears a knocking, but its source cannot be found. This issue consumes Molly and we, like a shadow, accompany her on this journey.
Director Frida Kempff pays careful attention to detail in this psychological thriller, from color schemes and camera angles to what’s said without saying a word. Chillingly, Molly’s life unravels before our eyes, but not without empathy. We live in her claustrophobic world, experiencing the pain of the past, and question the reality that is presented. There’s an unbalanced feeling visually, but this transcends the tangible world and becomes an emotionally unbalanced one as well.
Milocco beautifully allows us to walk alongside her as we begin to understand how others view those with mental disorders. They become nothing, invisible. The pain this elicits is tangible, connecting us with her character.
With a brilliant ending placing the burden of reality on the viewer, “Knocking” stays with you as it pushes you to see the world through a different lens.
3 Stars
