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| Knowing (2009) |
It is 1959. A time capsule burial is taking place at William Dawes Elementary School in Lexington, Massachusetts. Students create drawings depicting the future in 50 years as part of the celebration. A strange entry made by Lucinda Embry, consisting of a seemingly random string of digits, is one of them.
Let's go back to 2009. Professor of astrophysics at MIT John Koestler, who is still mourning the death of his wife, brings his son Caleb to the time capsule opening. By coincidence, Caleb finds Lucinda's coded note. Intrigued by the figures, John interprets them and discovers a startling reality: they correctly forecasted dates and death tolls of significant calamities that occurred over the previous 50 years.
Terrified, John tries to figure out the rest of the code, which predicts three terrifying future occurrences that would lead to a worldwide disaster. His attempts to notify the authorities are unsuccessful. John turns to Diana, the daughter of the late Lucinda, for assistance in his desperate attempt to avert the impending catastrophe. Together, they learn that the message also alludes to certain people who are meant to be engaged in these happenings.
They find Abby, Diana's extraordinarily talented granddaughter, who has an odd link to what's happening as a result of their inquiry. John discovers a secret society known as the Guardians, who have been preserving this information for many centuries, through Abby's visions and the deciphered message pieces. The Guardians think that Abby and the other selected people are the key to preventing catastrophe.
While the horrific plane crash that was the first anticipated event comes to pass, John and Diana rush to the second target, a school bus that is supposed to crash fatally. By alerting the driver in time, they are able to narrowly prevent a disaster. The Guardians, on the other hand, become unwelcomely aware of their activities because they think John is interfering with fate.
John, meantime, deciphers a deeper significance contained in the numbers: they not only indicate those destined to survive but also catastrophes. This information clarifies why his own son Caleb is listed. As the ultimate, apocalyptic event draws near, John understands that protecting a select group of people's survival is just as important as averting catastrophe.
When the Guardians step in, Abby gets kidnapped. In a race against time, John and Diana search for her. An extraterrestrial spaceship that is inactive is located in a secret cavern under the school, where the climactic confrontation takes place. It becomes evident that the natural calamities were planned events meant to get Earth ready for this heavenly visitor rather than being random occurrences.
When John and Diana approach the Guardians, they discover their actual objective: to make sure the selected people board the spaceship, which is humanity's only remaining hope for survival. Abby is supposed to lead them on their new trip because she is one of the chosen. John makes the heartbreaking choice to accept his son's destiny and lets Abby and Caleb board the vessel as it leaves Earth, taking with it a shattered planet.
The movie comes to a satisfying yet melancholic finish. A select few people hold the torch of hope into the unknown while the rest of humanity prepares to perish.
FULL RECAP OF "KNOWING (2009)"
CAST OF "KNOWING (2009)"
Nicolas Cage as John Koestler
Chandler Canterbury as Caleb Koestler
Rose Byrne as Diana
Lara Robinson as Abby…
D.G. Maloney as The Stranger
Nadia Townsend as Grace
Alan Hopgood as Reverend Koestler
Adrienne Pickering as Allison
Joshua Long as Younger Caleb
Danielle Carter as Miss Taylor (1959)
Alethea McGrath as Miss Taylor (2009)
David Lennie as Principal Clark (1959)
Tamara Donnellan as Lucinda's Mother
Travis Waite as Lucinda's Father
Ben Mendelsohn as Phil Beckman
Gareth Yuen as Donald
Lesley Anne Mitchell as Stacey
Liam Hemsworth as Spencer
Other Info
Director: Alex Proyas
Writers: Ryne Douglas Pearson - Juliet Snowden - Stiles White
Movie Genre: Sci-Fi - Mystery - Action
Release Date: March 20, 2009
Countries of Origin: United States - United Kingdom - Australia
Filming Locations: Camberwell High School, Camberwell, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia(William Dawes Elementary)
Production Companies: Summit Entertainment - Escape Artists - Mystery Clock Cinema
Estimated Budget: $50,000,000
Runtime: 2 hours 1 minute