The Survivalist (2015)

In a time of starvation, a survivalist lives off a small plot of land hidden deep in forest. When two women seeking food and shelter discover his farm, he finds his existence threatened.

Director:

Stephen Fingleton

Writer:

Stephen Fingleton

Stars:

Mia Goth, Martin McCann, Barry Ward

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 3 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Mia Goth	...	Milja
Martin McCann	...	Survivalist
Barry Ward	...	Forager
Olwen Fouéré	...	Kathryn (as Olwen Fouere)
Andrew Simpson	...	Gaunt Man
Ryan McParland	...	Crossbow Raider
Douglas Russell	...	The Snatcher
Ciaran Flynn	...	Watchman
Kieri Kennedy	...	The woman in the photograph
Michael Og Lane	...	Raider
Hussina Raja	...	Watchwoman
Sean Doupe	...	Raider
Aaron Goldring	...	Raider
Jeremy Martin	...	Raider
Caitlin Deeds	...	Settler Woman

Storyline

In a kill-or-be-killed world where starvation is rife and strangers are always dangerous, The Survivalist lives off the grid, and by his wits. When a starving woman and her teenage daughter discover his forest refuge, his loneliness drives him to overcome his suspicion and strike a bargain with them in return for bed and board. But as desire becomes stronger than necessity, the exchange becomes an uneasy, ongoing arrangement which threatens not only his carefully constructed world but also his life.

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Plot Keywords:

survivalism | forest | survival | bare breasts | female frontal nudity | 

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Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 February 2016 (UK)

Also Known As:

The Survivalist

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Fyzz Facility Film One, thefyzz

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

D-Cinema 48kHz 5.1

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

There is no dialogue until 17:05 in the movie

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Goofs

Around 36 min into the film 'the survivalist', Milja and Kathryn are working in the garden. While filming Kathryn you can see clearly a (young) woman walking in the take wearing a red coat.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Kathryn: [appearing outside his shack] My name is Kathryn. And this is my daughter Milja. Would you be able to spare some of your crop?
Survivalist: [no]
Kathryn: We can offer something in exchange.
[shows seeds]
Kathryn: A real treasure, then. We have legumes, rusticas, strong varieties. These could boost your yield.
[tosses over a package of seeds]
Kathryn: Surely you can spare something. There's more than enough.
Survivalist: That's what they all thought.
Kathryn: Well, then perhaps... Perhaps, we could stay the night.

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Connections

Follows Magpie (2014)

User Reviews

Finally a credible piece on post-apocalyptic survival

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!