The Survivalist (2015) Reviews

• Finally a credible piece on post-apocalyptic survival

  lougadou2017-09-17

  Extraordinarily well executed, fresh, replete with lots of smart details bring it all to life. The characters are believable; raw and wild, running on their baser instincts, struggling to be civil in a world where gnash-toothed animals survive and civility only gets you dead. They try to be civil! Oh bless their hearts they try. What I loved the most is the transformation you see in the characters; they go from feral, viciously unlikeable creeps to slowly warming up and right before your eyes they bloom into something like humans again, full of love and empathy and hate and greed and loyalty and all the paradoxes of the human condition. The setting is well fleshed out, with enough mystery regarding the details of society's breakdown to suspend any disbelief you might have about the premise. You feel like it's real. The characters further help you sense the desperation and anxiety of the world portrayed here. It's very somatic; you feel the hunger, the distrust, the anger and the violence of revenge. I was left feeling grateful for the world I live in, which is the purpose of theme I suspect. It really could be worse. Watch this movie and feel intense gratitude for your humdrum life. Enjoy!

  More

• I thought it was pretty damn good

  jonnytheshirt2016-05-26

  This won't be everyone's cup of tea. I however have watched plenty of absolute rubbish and this film is well acted, filmed and written. I'm a big Walking Dead fan and this reminded me quite a bit on it, although more a slower stronger tequila without zombies than the beery dead. The atmosphere is palpable and a lot is left to the imagination as to the whys and whats however the interplay in a low number of characters is pretty intense. You do need to be able to enjoy this kind of thing and there's a lot of subtext social commentary in here, not much is in your face explicit generic movie script that spells everything out. Shot beautifully in Ireland, intense stuff with no laughs, but I thought pretty fresh.

  More

• A gloomy but fascinating illustration of the instinctive brutality of humanity's will to survive.

  colinlomasox2016-03-17

  As a species, us humans have a curious fondness for grim and gloomy art. From skull tattoos to death metal bands, there is an unrelenting fascination with the macabre and morbid, and films are no exception. It's surprisingly difficult to recall a genuinely gloomy film which didn't get inexorable approval. From the true life horrors of Hotel Rwanda and The Elephant Man through to the fictional bleakness of The Road, Nil by Mouth and Tyrannosaur, there is something peculiarly fascinating about watching unrelenting despair and observing the malevolence of humanity on the big screen. Intentionally set in an undefined year of the near future in an indeterminate part of the world, the human population has grown exponentially to the point of saturation; food is at a premium and from the movies sporadic intimations, society has regressed back to packs of hunter/gatherers. The survivalist (as we never learn his true name) has managed to create a small farmstead in the middle of a dense wood just large enough to keep himself self-sufficient. When mother and daughter couple Kathryn (Fouere) and Milja (Goth) appear at his door asking for food and shelter, the survivalist's controlled unaccompanied existence is threatened as his morals become confused; to keep himself safe or to assist his visitor's needs. A sound method to keep costs low when producing a movie is to isolate the action to a restricted area, keep the number of actors limited and construct a simple and focused story line. The risk with this technique is that the movie becomes more of a theatrical production where each moment becomes intensified and less freedom is given to procrastination. It is unsurprising therefore that the lead character is given to an actor with an education in walking the boards. The film devotes a significant amount of time to building McCann's character, devoid of dialogue and with extensive intense close ups. Due to the utter desperation of The Survivalist's plot, it requires total commitment to its audience and at times starts to meander yet manages to pull itself back every time just before the bleakness becomes tiresome. There are enough plot and character surprises to keep the movie interesting, the acting is excellent and the limited scope of environment constantly feels claustrophobic but never artistically restrictive. The Survivalist demonstrates the way, once the whiteboard of social acceptability has been wiped clean, intimacy and sex become acceptable tradeable commodities. The Survivalist is grim, depressing and about the least life- affirming film you're likely to see this year. Yet it is tense, wonderfully acted and a fascinating illustration of the instinctive brutality of humanity's will to survive.

  More

• Surviving - but alone

  thekarmicnomad2016-03-12

  Some unknown disaster has struck the planet causing a severe food shortage, it's every man for himself. The title character is held up all on his own in the woods, subsiding on the meagre scraps he can grow and repels anyone who encroaches on his land. Then a woman and her, rather plain looking daughter, show up asking to trade. The Survivalist, devoid of all human contact apart from the marauders he kills, cannot resist the pull of some female companionship. This film has a very small stage, concentrating entirely on the three central characters. Dialogue is minimal but affective, the Survivalist is especially grumpy and non-communicative. There is a lot of nudity, expect dong shots and people washing their bits in the river and some very grubby sex scenes. The scope of the story is small but the stakes for the characters are high. It has a poke around at desperation and necessity. Would you pimp your daughter out for a bowl of soup? I suppose it depends how hungry you are. Well made, well acted, small budget but clever lighting makes it look gritty rather than cheap. A very good, low octane watch.

  More

• The Survivalist: Certainly not the mainstream

  Platypuschow2017-10-09

  The survivalist leaves a lot to the imagination, telling the story of our lead a man who lives out in the wilderness paranoid and alone when his world is disrupted by the appearance of two women. Does he risk his perfect though limited little world by allowing them access to his home or should he turn them away? The Survivalist is a dark gritty tale that pulls no punches, I found myself oddly empathising and relating to the lead and yet at the same time was frustrated by that distinct lack of entertainment value I found. This multi award winning effort simply didn't connect with me and though I certainly appreciate what they were going for unfortunately didn't see the appeal. Credit to the cast, credit to the film makers but for me this made for uncomfortable viewing and a really lackluster finale. The Good: All round well made Strong performances Great concept The Bad: Uncomfortable stuff Certainly niche viewing Weak ending Things I Learnt From This Movie: The survivalist lifestyle isn't as glamorous as others may have you believe Don't let women in your life, they'll ruin everything

  More