Knock on my door. Powerful and insistent, sweeping them both off their dear little feet and ending up with a tiny, perfect baby, cradled in Mac's arms. She had never seen such an expression on his face before: love and longing and fear and sadness all mixed up in one beautiful, uncertain smile. Without warning, there was a.
Roth’s film, which he directed and co-wrote, is an update of a trashy little exploitation flick called “Death Game” from 1977. (The two actresses who were its stars, Sondra Locke and Colleen Camp, get producing credit here while Camp appears in a brief supporting role as a nosy friend). His intention, he says in the film’s press notes, was to demonstrate how much more quickly we experience everything in the social media age—both the delights and the torments—and how the rules of civilized society no longer seem to apply.
But he makes his point far clearer in the notes than he does in the movie itself. Roth skillfully builds tension until the moment when everything snaps and goes insane, followed by a series of shrill and repetitive scenes of increasing torture and destruction, all of which leads to The Big Reveal of what inspired these vicious games. As a piece of social satire, “Knock Knock” winds up being not just toothless but anticlimactic.
But it does feature Keanu Reeves, who’s game for all the craziness that comes his way in the leading role. He stars as Evan, an architect living in a coolly sprawling minimalist home filled with colorful, modern art in the hills outside Los Angeles. Roth sets the mood rather elegantly off the top, with long, gliding camerawork over the Hollywood sign, through Malibu canyons and down serene, suburban streets until he winds up at Evan’s front door. Clearly, this is an idyllic place—which the presence of Evan’s flirty, artist wife (Ignacia Allamand) and adorable son and daughter confirms. Nothing could possibly go wrong here.
There almost seems to be an intentional awkwardness to these early interactions between Evan and his family; they’re too happy and perfect, like folks you’d see forced together in a catalog. At first, it's as if Roth and co-writers Nicolas Lopez and Guillermo Amadeo are toying with the notion of domestic bliss, only to hold it up to the light, examine it and crush it to pieces later on. The execution never feels quite so focused, however.
With the wife and kids away on a beach trip, Evan uses the weekend to catch up on a project, enjoy some red wine, maybe smoke a little pot and listen to his treasured vinyl on the turntable. But then, there’s a knock at the door on the one night there happens to be a torrential downpour in drought-stricken Southern California. Standing on his front porch, giggling and dripping in itty-bitty clothing, are the brunette Genesis (Lorenza Izzo, Roth’s real-life wife) and blonde Bel (Ana de Armas), who must be half his age.
Reviews“Please Knock on My Door gave me a better understanding of myself and my illness, a remarkable achievement for a video game.”Recommended –“'Please Knock on My Door' undeniably cements itself as an indie gem bent on changing the way in which narratives are delivered to the player, making the experience of interacting with a game a highly personal matter.”4.5/5.0 –“It is, by far, the best and worst gaming experience I have ever had, and there's absolutely no doubt in my mind that it deserves a score I have never used before.”10/10 –. About This GamePlease Knock on My Door is a story-driven game which gives you control over a person suffering from depression and social anxiety.
Help them get through work and reach out to friends while desperately trying to survive. Experience the frailty these themes bring and gain a better understanding of what it's like to live with some of the most common mental health issues today. A compelling and emotional story offering a voice to those who have none. A fully voiced narrator who always has your best in mind. Probably. A gameplay system which adds to the weight of every story-choice you make. No 'Game Over' screen, only alternate endings that tie into your choices.
A soundtrack that has been tailor-made for this experience. Relationships that can be developed or broken.
Game length varies depending on your choices, ranging from 1-3 hours with enough content that you can come back and explore different parts of the narrative in consequent playthroughs. As in real life, all of your choices are immediately saved. There is only one save.Please Knock on My Door has been in development since autumn 2014 and was initially supposed to be a 6 month exploration of my own experiences with depression. A word of caution; this is a game that might be difficult to play for those who have dealt with psychological issues such as depression and anxiety.
That said, I truly believe that through entertainment we are able to understand topics that would otherwise be too foreign for us. I hope this game can help you better understand what it can be like to live with these issues, like it has already helped me.