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, Barry Ward, Martin McCann

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

Cast

Credited cast:
Mia Goth	...	Milja
Barry Ward	...	Forager
Martin McCann	...	Survivalist
Andrew Simpson	...	Gaunt Man
Olwen Fouéré	...	Kathryn (as Olwen Fouere)
Ryan McParland	...	Crossbow Raider
Douglas Russell	...	The Snatcher
Kieri Kennedy	...	The woman in the photograph
Hussina Raja	...	Watchwoman
Michael Og Lane	...	Raider
Ciaran Flynn	...	Watchman
Dexter Louca Godfrey	...	Settlement Child
Sean Doupe	...	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 | starvation | post apocalypse | 

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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 dialog 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

Spits in the face of Hollywood

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...