MovieChat Forums > The Survivalist (2016) Discussion > Add this to my list list of films are ju...

Add this to my list list of films are just "Not Ok"

posted 8 years ago by just_in_case
3 replies | jump to latest

No I'm not saying it was bad, infact as an art piece it was great...unfortunately.

Pacing was good sound was good story was good. If you understand what the story was. If you enjoyed "The Road" thsi is enjoyable, if not. This totally sucks ass.

*SPOILERS AHOY*

So the actual story was about the girl all along. She is the Survivalist. Everyone else in the film was ultimately in an off way...warm blooded. I'm not at all saying the girl didn't care for him but there were subtle hints towards the end that she literally was doing whatever was best for her. It was extremely interesting to watch the older woman not doing for herself but her cause which was the girl, her brood which was likely metaphorical. The films only weakness is that the signs that the girl was choosing the man were early on and though it was a revelation to the viewer it should not have been. The woman should have accepted her fate and moved on or chosen to accept the new dynamic. I can't help but wonder if they'd stayed together if they could have won out.

I gave it an 8/10 because I felt like it was intentionally depressing and didn't stray too far from the course. I can think of two or three of these "good" indie films of recent memory who basically circumvent budget by being "stark" and "realistic". If you make an indie film about a dark subject and then hit some emotional depth you kind of get a free pass these days because modern mainstream cinema are all about catharsis and time filling. It would be nice if they would break the mold were currently trapped in for this genre and say "screw it! happy ending! Boom! in your emo face!"

Though I personally gave it an 8/10 it's definitely now on my "Watch if you feel like being depressed" "Not ok" list.;

[–] therefdotcom 8 years ago

it was bearable.

the first half was slow paced, but somewhat interesting. for me it falls apart in the second half. that's when they crammed too much pathos into it and where it took me out of the film, which destroyed my will to suspend disbelief and i started noticing logical flaws, which usually is the point of death for most films.

i was willing to give it a 5, but eventually settled for a 4. there were just too many forced "oh, look. isn't that terrible" moments crammed into it.

[–] remembervhs 8 years ago

I didn't think it was depressing at all. All due respect, I think you missed the point.

The movie is about the main character's moral transformation. He goes from someone who would stab his own brother to ensure his survival to someone who sacrifices himself for another person. That's the point of the movie.

It may have been harrowing, but it wasn't nihilistic and the message of the movie certainly wasn't "the girl, Mia, is the true survivalist." She's emotionally attached to him as well.

This movie didn't get a free pass due to its budget. It's just all around good.

[–] SHiR8 8 years ago

What other movies are on your "just not OK" list?