The Survivalist (2015)

Definitely a good movie to see. I think the Survivalist says maybe 20 lines in the whole movie but he plays the role perfect. I like the fact that it was hard to predict which direction the movie is going. One thing I am sure everyone hates is to waste their life watching a ridiculous movie that is so predictable where they even throw in bad acting. This won't take you there. At first I thought it was going to be like The Walking Dead but I was happy to see that it was far from that nonsense. The Walking Dead is just another overrated TV show. Enjoy.

James

Fmovies: This film is a prime example of how well researched material can take the smallest of budgets, minimal dialogue and a complete lack of soundtrack and turn this into a masterpiece.

The viewer is given no background story and none of the characters are fleshed out. There is next to no information on anyone in the film apart from the main character, and even with him, there is very little information given. But that is the point. The strength of the film lies not in the story but the idea of what one does to survive when life goes back to basics. The viewer's attention is drawn to the intensity of the situation, the survival skills that are actual knowledge one needs to survive in the wild. The cold and barren undertone of the film should have been the reason for its failure. Instead, it serves to emphasise the stark and bleak situation that all the characters are faced with. The script does not pull any punches and a strong stomach is needed for some scenes. And if you get the gist of the film so far, then you will already know whether there is a happy ending or not...

It's not always about the fittest, but about the strongest - in mind more than in body. And this movie with very little dialog if you made a statistic, as in lines per minute, will not be every ones deal. It just is too quiet and too slow, especially when it sets up the life of our protagonist. Of course there will be inciting incidents and how our main man will react to them.

It's tough to say he's likable, but he's pragmatic. And it's also tough to really put yourself into his shoes. because living alone for a very long time makes you see things - differently. And it's really about the way we live in our own world. Even when surrounded by others, we can only tell what we are feeling, not what others think. It's dirty and it never backs out on anything, which you'll either love or hate about it

The Survivalist fmovies. 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

I overall liked the movie. It didn't try to take on a large topic. It wasn't fun or nice or had a happy ending, just a well told story. Many movies are trying to be more than they are, and this wasn't one of them. It was very well acted and has great visuals. Often times, movie will go for 1-3 minutes without any dialogue, which I found to be an effective way to tell the story.

Main 3 characters didn't have any allusions of hope; they were just there trying to survive day-to-day. I am a fan of the Dystopian genre; however, often times, it ends up being unrealistic or trying to a franchise maker. This didn't try any of it, and just succeeded to be a strong movie.

The opening shot of 'The Survivalist' cleverly sets the situation in which the film is set: the camera follows two lines on a graph, one showing oil production, the other world population. While the oil one starts to reduce, the population one continues its dizzying climb (appropriately, the film is set in Ireland, home of the European Union's highest birth rate!) until suddenly plummeting. Thus the scene is set.

An unnamed man (Martin McCann) lives in a forest, protecting his vegetable garden from occasional marauders with his rifle, his knife, and his totally naff haircut. This hand-to-mouth existence is disrupted one morning when a mother and daughter appear, seeking to barter the sexual favours of the daughter (Mia Goth) for food. The two women stay and, although suspicious, the man gradually, slightly, lets down his guard - but are the women as innocent as they appear?

Essentially a three-hander, at first glance this could make a good play, although live audiences might find their attention wandering during the long periods where nobody speaks as they tramp through the forest, do gardening, or irrigate the crops by urinating on them. But on film these sequences have a quiet beauty (well, not the urination) and, crucially, writer/director Stephen Fingleton - who has won several awards for this work - doesn't over-play them, or drag them out - something of which certain other directors of far more experience would be guilty.

The acting is good, with all three leads providing low-key but believable - as far as the circumstances allow - performances. Olwen Fouéré is especially noteworthy as the older woman seeking to manipulate things in order to survive, and McCann provides some good facial expressions that well convey emotions that would otherwise remain unexpressed, such is the monosyllabic speech of his character.

Combining human interest with tension and threat, this is a low-budget gem that is well worth seeing if you get the chance.