Notes From Tribeca: The Survivalist (2015)

This is the first in what I hope will be a series of mini-posts from my five days at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival.

Although my first movie, Bleeding Heart, starring Jessica Biel and Zosia Mamet, was pretty much a dud, my second, The Survivalist, was something else entirely: a revelation.  I have no idea when or how widely it will be released, but write this down and put it on your list of movies to look out for.

The Survivalist is a small independent movie from Northern Ireland about a not too distant dystopian future, where society has collapsed and much of the world's population has died off.  As the title implies, this story concerns a guy trying to hold on and survive after the apocalypse, but unlike most pictures of this genre, the environment is rural and rustic, rather than tumbled-down urban. It has more in common with Cormac McCarthy’s The Road than it does with Mad Max, Blade Runner, or Hunger Games.

The setting is a small wooden cabin hidden in a deep wood, with a postage stamp garden, and a mood of overwhelming paranoia. That’s not quite the right word, though, because the unnamed survivalist (Martin McCann) is not delusional, just appropriately hyper-alert and fearful, much like a rabbit or a sparrow,  wary of possible predators. In this case, the potential predators are other survivors. He always carries his weapon with him; he bars the door and shutters his windows at night. He has lived alone for seven years now. Then two women, a mother and daughter (Olwen Fouere and Mia Goth) approach, asking for food and shelter, although there’s not really enough to feed three.

The Survivalist is bleak yet lush, visually and emotionally. The conversation, such as it is, between the three main characters is spare, and their interaction is mostly non-verbal, but very intense and very real – distrust, desire, cautious connections, shifting loyalties. There is male and female nudity, and it is stark, deeply human and not at all lascivious.  The film develops slowly and is at times painful to watch, but it is unflaggingly spellbinding, with a feeling of stunning immediacy throughout. The story, the pace, the mood, and especially the acting all are just superb. Kudos to writer/director Stephan Fingleton, and to the amazing cinematography of Damien Alliot.

Despite the grim scenario, I left (at 11:30 p.m.) thrilled.

104 riveting minutes. Not yet released.

2017 update: The Survivalist is widely available on most streaming services including iTunes, Amazon, GooglePlay, etc. Although not currently streaming on Netflix it is available on disc from dvd.netflix.com.