A Leonardo DiCaprio special in the greatest survival film ever!

Rating: 10/10 (14 January 2016)

Firstly, I must state here that I was so confused about what the title of my post should be because I could think of so many. It is the most painful, hurting and brutal film that I have watched in my life. All of it had such great realness to the film that it was impossible not to feel Hugh Glass' pain and suffering, to the extent that I almost felt like crying at some of the scenes. Leonardo's unbelievably awesome performance has left me speechless. Hats off to such a brilliant actor, wow!
This film has involved my emotions like not many films have, and reading that some of it was in fact inspired from true events has left me struck (and most of my praise, if not all, obviously applies to the book that this film is based upon). The realness of it made me reflect on what life could turn out to be for some souls and what great trials and ordeals life can demand from some people, and how fortunate we are after all in life despite the constant complaining. Walking out of the theatre, neither myself nor my brother-in-law could utter a word for a good 10 minutes. There was this heaviness in the voice.
The start itself was a dazzling one with that shoot-out, it made me feel that we in for a good film, but then came the mauling from that bear. Despite it being a film, I bet it couldn't have ever been more real than this. It sent shivers down my spine, and the second time it attacked him I literally felt his pain and utter humiliation. One of the most terrifying scenes ever!
Then came the scene that was personal to me to the extremes; when they leave Hugh alone to die in the forest. Now, this is not the first time someone was abandoned in a film, but the injuries had so much hindered his physical movement that he was completely dependent on others' help. Despite facing so much in life bravely and with a smile on my face, and it is something that my family members often laugh about, it is an established fact that right from my childhood days my biggest fear has always been being left alone (and this fear developed after an incident in childhood). I can't bear it, never can! For example, if my father is alone at home with me, he has to first alert me even going to the balcony and has to return within a given time frame. So adding that personal touch to it, coupled with the earth shattering scene of his son being murdered before his eyes, and then not even being able to tell due to the temporary loss of speech caused by the injuries, it almost made me cry.
Then we proceed to his survival, which is perhaps an even more touching part of the film. He crawls, he fights, he eats things that we might end up vomiting by the mere thought of it, he sleeps "In the horse" (yes, that is literal, not metaphorical in any sense!), and reaches his people, takes his revenge. Every scene of it deserves an essay written on it. Amidst all this, the cinematography deserves a special mention. This film is scenic beauty and contains awesome pictures of mountains, streams, trees, and of course, the relentless snow! It added a perfect mix to the story and wonderful performances.
"As long as you can still grab a breath, you fight. You breathe... keep breathing." This is brilliant, and in every way inspirational and a lesson for anyone struggling in his life. There's nothing more beautiful than your own life, therefore fight to keep it. It is your very existence, and once gone it won't return. Somehow, these quotes sounded better and more powerful in the language that he spoke and reading these lines translated on the screen felt more catching to the memory.
It is, again, one of the most unique films that I have watched in my life. Since it felt so real, what I watched yesterday was not a film. It was reality, or in better words, the brutal aspects of reality. I have so many things to say about the film... I am eagerly waiting to talk to her tomorrow on Skype and tell her the details of a once in a lifetime cinema experience.