Knowing 2009

The film begins in 1959 at an elementary school in Lexington, Massachusetts. A young girl named Lucinda, portrayed by Lara Robinson, seems transfixed, as if experiencing a monumental disaster. Despite her teacher, Miss Taylor (Danielle Carter), urging her to focus on the class activity—writing predictions for the future to be placed in a time capsule—Lucinda is consumed by strange voices and starts scribbling a series of cryptic numbers.

During the time capsule ceremony, Lucinda stands apart from her classmates. When Miss Taylor notices her absence, she finds Lucinda locked away in a closet, her fingers bloodied from etching more numbers into the wooden door. Fast forward fifty years, and we meet John Koestler, played by Nicolas Cage, a grieving M.I.T. professor who grapples with the loss of his wife. One day, he misses his son Caleb’s (Chandler Canterbury) school event, where the time capsule is finally opened. Among the artifacts, Caleb receives Lucinda’s ominous sheet filled with numbers, which triggers unsettling visions.

That night, John discovers the letter. His surprise grows as he decodes it to reveal the date of the September 11, 2001 attacks, alongside the exact victim count. Initially skeptical, John realizes the numbers predict numerous global catastrophes over the past half-century, with a few left unresolved, hinting at potential future disasters. His sister Grace (Nadia Townsend) expresses concern about his obsession with the numbers while John, undeterred, investigates further.

Eventually, he seeks out Miss Taylor, only to learn that Lucinda has passed away. Mysterious shadowy figures begin to plague Caleb, and a series of troubling events, including an airplane crash, lead John to conclude that these numbers also predict impending disasters. Seeking answers, he meets Diana (Rose Byrne), Lucinda’s daughter, but their conversation ends in conflict when he reveals the truth about the numbers.

As John attempts to prevent a terrorist act in New York City, he gets drawn into chaos instead when a train crash occurs. Each effort to prevent disaster seems futile, yet he remains determined to crack Lucinda’s final prediction, especially as October 22 looms—marked as a catastrophic date in Lucinda’s cryptic message.

In a frantic race against time, John discovers that the last prediction is related to the Sun. He rushes back to the school, experiences a sequence of harrowing events, and ultimately realizes the survival of his family rests on revealing the shelter from the impending solar flare. With added tension, Diana and her children face their own danger, leading John on a desperate chase to reunite with them as fate unfolds.

In a poignant climax, alien beings, revealed as the mysterious figures, come down to save only the children, Caleb and Abby. In an emotionally charged goodbye, John reassures Caleb that he will always be with him. As they ascend into the skies, leaving behind the chaos of Earth, John is left to witness the devastating effects of the disaster.

The film culminates with a chilling vision of Earth fracturing, contrasting the new landscape of a distant, vibrant planet where children are dropped off, symbolizing hope amidst destruction. The final scene paints a picture of resilience and rebirth, as young Caleb and Abby find themselves in a new world, starting anew.