The Survivalist

Plot synopsis:
The film takes place when oil production has ceased, which has resulted in a total economic collapse, the fall of society, and a severe drop in the population.
The Survivalist is first seen burying a man's body. He is then shown to be living efficiently in the wild. He harvests crop for food (as animal meat is scarce), forages berries, washes clothes in a nearby stream, grows seeds with semen, lays traps against intruders around his small farm's perimeter, and lives alone out of a small cabin he has built.
One morning, The Survivalist hears noise outside his cabin, and rushes out to find two women. An old woman named Katherine and a younger woman named Milja which Katherine claims to be her daughter, ask him if he could spare any of his crop, and attempt to trade for it too, to both of which he declines while holding them at gunpoint. Katherine suggests they stay the night, implying that he uses Milja for sex in return for food & shelter. The Survivalist agrees, but only for one night.
The following morning, The Survivalist tells the women to take their belongings and leave. After Milja caresses and shaves his face, he agrees to let them stay indefinitely if they help him with the farming. Over a few days, Katherine and Milja secretly conspire to kill The Survivalist in order to reduce supplies being used. The following morning, after Katherine briefly contemplates murdering him, The Survivalist is alerted a footprint in the mud, just as Milja is taken hostage while washing in a nearby stream. The Survivalist is shot in the stomach, but in turn, kills the assailant. Milja and Katherine treat The Survivalist's wound, prying the bullet out and cauterising the wound. After the wound becomes infected, he gathers maggots to eat the infected tissue. As he recovers, temperature drops, and they huddle together in bed to stay warm.
One night, raiders arrive and The Survivalist, Milja and Katherine gather and discuss their options. Six raiders are counted, and the survivors only have a shotgun with 2 shells, a pistol with one bullet, and two knives. They have no choice but to keep quiet while the raiders steal most of the crop and attempt, but fail, to break into the cabin. In the following days, while they work to save the farm, Milja discovers she is pregnant. Katherine again floats the idea of killing The Survivalist due to lack of food, and advises her to attempt an abortion. Milja attempts abortion with a copper rod, but fails.
The following morning, Katherine tells The Survivalist that she and Milja are leaving. Milja tells her she wants to stay, and that she has also poisoned Katherine. Overcome with despair from this, Katherine tells The Survivalist to cut her wrists and bury her after she dies. Following this, The Survivalist finds that one of his bear traps has caught a rabbit, meaning all three could have had enough food to survive. He returns to the cabin, and tells Milja about his brother, Augustus - the man he buried at the film's opening - He tells her they used to steal from camps, and when caught and chased, The Survivalist cut Augustus's Achilles tendon and left him to the pursuers in order to escape. He modestly assures her that she did the right thing in poisoning Katherine.
Eventually, the raiders return to the farm while The Survivalist and Milja are out foraging when they notice the raiders' presence. They sneak into the back room of the cabin for the storage of crop seeds, but Milja alerts them while leaving. The raiders give chase, and The Survivalist tells Milja to run. Drawing the raiders with a harmonica, he kills one and the rest follow the sound of the shot. One stumbles onto Milja's location, but she lures him into a bear trap and makes her escape. The Survivalist is eventually shot with a crossbow bolt - As his dying body is looted next to a large spit and fire made from the cabin's wood, it is strongly implied he is cannibalised by the raiders.
Milja wanders the wild herself over the next few days, and eventually makes it to a survivors' compound, complete with guards, doctors and a large farm. As she waits to be let in, a female guard notices Milja is three months pregnant, and asks if she knows what she will call the baby. As the film ends, Milja answers, "If it's a boy."

Tags: violence

Review:
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.
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..
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.
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 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.
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.
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..
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 endingThings 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.
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.
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.
'THE SURVIVALIST': Four and a Half Stars (Out of Five)A British post-apocalyptic thriller, filmed all in Northern Ireland, about a violent future world where people must 'kill or be killed' in order to survive.
I thoroughly enjoyed it.The movie tells the story of an unnamed survivalist man (McCann), who has been living on his own for some time in the middle of the woods.
He then reluctantly agrees to let the women stay longer, which could eventually lead to his death (as they secretly plot to kill him).The film starts out pretty slow-paced, as it spends a significant amount of time just showing how the survivalist lives (on his own in the woods).
Even after the two female characters enter the film though, there's very little dialogue; especially from the lead character, who has very few lines in the entire movie.
The Survivalist is BAFTA nominated film about a man who is trying to survive in a post apocalyptic world where food is scarce and where people will kill to take it from you .
Good performances from Martin McCann ( we never get to know his name) and Mia Goth add up to an interesting film that might not be to everyone's taste..
It teaches nothing, but presents a totally cynical view of human beings, as if this post-apocalyptic world would turn everyone into these zombie-like creatures unable to communicate with each other, unable to have normal human interactions, unable to smile or have fun.
There's also the aspect common in the medium that despite having the opening scene set several years after the disaster it's only when the story starts that pivotal incident seems to magically happen Writer/director Stephen Fingleton isn't too bothered about the cause and concentrates more on the effects of this disaster .
One noticeable thing Fingleton acknowledges in this post apocalyptic world is that concepts like menstruation and unwanted pregnancy still exist , which is not something that's usually touched upon in these type of stories .
Seeing that Post Apocalyptic films are my favourite genre, I thought I might be about to watch something special.It starts off very slow, but that's OK.
We are introduced to the protagonists enemies on very rare occasion, which helped break the monotony a bit, but its fleeting, and do not expect anything like the visceral eye feast of Mad Max. A disappointment really, and certainly a bad comparison to make it to Mad Max. I had high hopes of something akin to the UK feel of 28 days later, but this was quite a lack lustre of a film.
Because, this is what the movie is exactly about: the (very solid and strong) story is slowly revealed without being predictable (unlike thousands of other Hollywood movies), amazing and unique camera shots from various angles, very well-played characters and - finally - creating one of the most and authentic atmosphere of post-apocalyptic/dystopian future that I have ever seen in movies of this genre.
Set in the future where the fabric of society has unravelled and one man lives deep in the forest where he has carved out some land to grow crops and eek out an existence for himself.Then one day a mother and her daughter turn up and offer an unusual trade in exchange for food and shelter.
While it appeared as though this film would be an interesting view to help kill some time on a Saturday afternoon, the lack of 'anything' made for probably one of the most boring movies I have seen in a very, very long time.The lighting and camera angles were all off and the scenery, or lack thereof, was also - boring.If you are into staring at the same room with a few shots of the front yard of an old shed for 2 hours, then by all means, rent away and enjoy.Otherwise, there is no plot.Oddly enough, the producer decided to throw in a pornographic scene showing (in slow motion and in full view) a man masturbating.I can only assume that the director thought that 60 seconds of raw porn would boost ratings?
Just finished watching 'The Survivalist', a new Irish post-apocalyptic tale which, along with 'The Lobster', has been the best - and only real - film I've seen all year.
There's no flab: every scene, every pause, every glance is there because it needs to be.What captured my attention right from the start was the rawness, the dread realities of life that any Hollywood film would look away from.
And the women survive by first of all offering up their bodies and perhaps later looking for ways to exploit the weakness and benevolence of the men they find shelter with.The thing I most took away from it was an appreciation of the importance of the hard-won social contract, the delicate web of human reciprocity that we all depend upon to survive, the value of making this unprecedented miracle we are embedded in stay together and function - something that all the most 'progressive' movements right now seem to be hell-bent on tearing down and dismantling: justice, equality, due process, freedom of thought and expression.
I believe that a movie is supposed to entertain you and this one does not do that even remotely.The director could have made a 30 minute short and told the same story just as well.The acting and cinematography is fine but you have a feeling of emptiness afterward when you realize you just wasted 104 minutes of your life and your'e not sure what the moral or point of it all was.
I loved this movie, but not for the reasons that other reviewers have mentioned.Yes, the film is dark, gritty, and it breaks taboos about what it shows on the screen.But at its heart, this is a very conventional story about the moral transformation of the main character.
Raiders are also a constant fear and there is the implication that some of them are cannibals.Filmed entirely in rural settings in Northern Ireland, The Survivalists is directed and written by Stephen Fingleton and provides a worthy addition to the Irish Post-Apocalyptic Canon.
I love post apocalyptic and survival films, and this delivered a very realistic viewpoint of life after modern times as we know it.Lead actor was perfect and the shooting, props and set were just on spot.It is a simple story, told with honesty and I found myself engaged throughout, imagining myself in this position and the kind of decisions we as humans would have to make in this position..
The Survivalist (2015) is not a perfect film, and it is a very beyond slow paced film, and yes they're camera shots in this film that will make some people cringe; though there is a whole lot worst is most cartoons and about every film on the market now days.The Survivalist (2015) is set in a starving world and some things take place within the movie that you'd see in The Walking Dead, and all apocalyptic based films; this one is artistic.
This is a post apocalyptic theme set in somewhere in the Britain and revolves around three people who are fighting for their survival, everyday.The feature film debut for the director, who also managed the screenplay quite superbly.
Obviously there's always an issue of food shortage, so how they are going to handle and followed by many other troubles brings an end to the tale."The only thing I have caught in there walked on two legs."A minimal cast film with less dialogues, but totally a visual storyteller.
This might be the most stripped down, raw, grounded and realistic portrayal of a post-apocalyptic world I have ever seen in a film.
Instead of the glamorised version that is offered in films like the Mad Max series and others, 'The Survivalist' pulls no punches and gives us a very detailed and methodical look into what it requires to survive in a world like this.
I believed and enjoyed the dynamics between the three characters and the cat & mouse game they play between each other to gain supremacy in the power struggle.Just like a few other post-apocalyptic films like 'The Road' or 'Children of Men', 'The Survivalist' ends on a optimistic note which somewhat comes out of nowhere and can seem like a bit of a cop out.
But I can completely understand why Fingleton opted to end the film like that and I also appreciate how that ending ends up glorifying a certain sacrifice that a character makes just before it, but I probably would've loved a brutally realistic ending, more in keeping with the rest of the movie.The performances from all the three actors playing the central characters, namely Martin McCann, Mia Goth and Olwen Fouéré are all great.Highly Recommended..
Because the world's food supply is completely dependent on oil this decline will be mirrored shortly after by a catastrophic decline in the human population.This Irish made post-apocalyptic drama is set around a decade after the crash.
The survivalist, a man in his twenties, lives alone growing vegetables and is visited by a mother and daughter who stumble across his cabin in the woods looking for food.
A very different kind of film, very un-Hollywood, a subtle yet powerful reminder of what the future might look like if we continue to ignore the inevitable decline of the world's oil supplies in the near future..
It's an original movie, very clever and educated and at the same time extremely cinematographic too (which is the best quality a film can show): Stephen Fingleton with this flick proves himself a very good author and a talented director.It's a thriller (not a study on human behavior), catching and meaningful.
It narrates a paradigmatic story (a man, a girl, a threatening world) set in a 'post-event' near future where, among the things that we know about civilization, only farming seems to survive.The movie will catch you from the very beginning and although made of classical elements, you won't find it easily predictable at all.
The Survivalist is somewhat of a very grim movie, with very little dialogue throughout the whole film (at least 20 lines) it was more of a visual feast.
Extremely well shot scenes and spot on direction made this low budget film one worth seeing, whilst it is definitely not for everyone it does have some great performances which make it more intriguing.
The opening scenes to the film show you what it is going to be about, with no dialogue, just visuals to fill you in of the story.
The film is ultimately about survival with the unnamed main character fending for himself in the forest, until 2 women come along and threaten his existence.
That's all I'll say for now as the films visuals tell the story extremely well (see it for yourself)Martin McCann plays the protagonist very well, his emotions and morals are directly clear through his facial expressions, there need be no dialogue as everything can be seen visually.
Overall the film had my attention from start to finish, as it was about survival you wanted to know what was going to happen next and if the protagonist would make it out alive.
Specially if you are in to post apocalyptic movies, survival stories.
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.
that's what it's supposed to be One minute the Mother and daughter want to kill him The next they're saving him I'm trying to fill 10 lines on what is in essence a monosyllabic movie Characters are very dull.
Instead, I spent my 104 minutes of life, on Friday night might I add, watching a guy surviving for SEVEN years in a forest looking like where I played hide and seek when I was 6, not being able to harvest more than 2 square feet of land.
THE SURVIVALIST is a fairly effective, low key thriller set in a post-apocalyptic world.
Being a low budget movie, we don't see much of this world; the enclosed setting is a cabin in the woods inhabited by the titular character, whose life is changed forever when two women show up at his home one day, looking for help.
Read AFTER you see the movie.I read a few reviews, both good and bad, and was motivated to post because just like The Road, my take away from the movie seemed different from the general sentiment.It was pretty clear to me who the Survivalist was.
And this is one of the dozen 'why's raised when you watch this film: Why the Survivalist's brutal, long-term isolation (even if he lived with his brother), when he can surely live better among other people?
How callous must a man be to mistreat the progenitor of life (broads) *joke*If you are a post apocalyptic movie fan this is a great watch.