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The Survivalist - Movie Review

5 beers

It begins with a line graph.  Close-up.  In your face.  Two lines snaking their way up, up, up into the far reaches of the black space.  The red graph tracks the climbing human population and the oil production is in blue.  And then the blue line drops.  Dramatically.  Not too soon after that the red line plummets rather quickly.  That’s when The Survivalist begins.  One man against the world.  And what a world it is. 

Director Stephen Fingleton’s post-apocalyptic movie doesn’t give us yet another view of abandoned cities and empty concrete jungles.  No.  This science fiction flick embraces the leafy greens of an isolated farm.  And it’s a very dangerous place as evident by the opening moments in which the survivalist (Martin McCann) drags a dead body across open ground.  It is from this origin in which his simple garden/farm is developed and maintained.

Essentially, the dramatic decrease in oil production has led to the end of all things good.  Civilization.  The economy.  Everything stable is now at risk.  No laws.  No jails.  Nothing but man verses man.  And the main character of this tale forages berries for dinner and raises crops with his piss and semen.  His quiet existence is enough to keep trouble at bay until Kathryn (Olwen Fouéré) and Milja (Mia Goth), a mother and daughter looking for a safe place to rest, enter the picture.

Sex for a night’s stay follows.  After that, he tells them to get their things and go.  But women have their ways and he gives in, allowing them to stay with the understanding that they will help him tend to the farm.  For a while, everything is copasetic.  But Kathryn and Milja are plotting; they just can’t trust the survivalist.  Even if what is just outside is even more dangerous. 

And this is where the strength of this quiet movie comes into play.  The relationships and their complexities are dynamic and feel very believable, even if the extreme situations are the stuff of fiction.  There’s just not one foul moment in the flick.  We know the outside threat will soon come inside; we know that everyone’s allegiance will be tested; we know all of this and still we watch.  There’s poetry to this film that makes it both beautiful and horrible all at the same time.  A film this lyrical is hard to come by.  It is both lean and mean and keeps us engaged with a fine collection of tense situations.

There’s toughness in much of the film, too.  Cannibalism is suggested.  Narrative structures are challenged.  And, during a battle with nearby raiders, there’s a brutality that is clever (lured out by a harmonica!) and fierce.  Lions, tigers, and bear traps!  Oh my!  The performances, which are muted but impressive, allow for realism to creep in and toy with our expectations.  Along the way, we discover the sad truths inherit in this production:  human connections can save AND destroy us.

The Survivalist, now playing in select cities, is more proof that IFC Midnight is leading the charge when it comes to thought-provoking original films.

 

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The Survivalist - Movie Review

MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime:
104 mins
Director
: Stephen Fingleton
Writer:
Stephen Fingleton
Cast:
Mia Goth, Martin McCann, Olwen Fouere
Genre
: Drama | Sci-fi
Tagline:
The survivalist.
Memorable Movie Quote: "Would you be able to spare some of your crop?"
Theatrical Distributor:
IFC Midnight
Official Site: https://www.facebook.com/thesurvivalistfilm
Release Date:
May 17, 2017
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
No details available.
Synopsis: In a post-apocalyptic future ravaged by overpopulation, a lone survivor (Martin McCann) mercilessly protects his remote sliver of property from intruders. When a mother (Olwen Fouéré) and daughter (Mia Goth) in search of food and shelter show up at his doorstep, he's suspicious, but cautiously allows them in. Soon an uneasy alliance, borne of necessity, forms between the trio—but distrust and paranoia threaten to give way to violence at any moment. The intense, heart-pounding debut feature from Stephen Fingleton viscerally evokes the fear, tension, and all-consuming desperation of life in a kill-or-be-killed dystopia.

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The Survivalist - Movie Review

 

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