In “Knuckleball,” a suspenseful thriller, 12-year-old Henry is left at his distant grandfather Jacob’s isolated farmhouse. The cold winter landscape reflects frosty relationships and lurking hostilities, and the situation intensifies when Henry meets Dixon, a deceptively affable neighbor.

Although baseball isn’t the primary focus, it forms a symbolic backdrop in the film. Scenes of baseballs being pitched and bats swung as weapons punctuate the narrative, drawing parallels to the unpredictability of a knuckleball’s movement. The title metaphorically captures the essence of the story, with Henry navigating challenges as erratic and unforeseeable as the trajectory of the eponymous pitch.