How wonderful it is to see this fine actress carry a film and carry it so beautifully.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Some audience reviewers gave "The Survivalist" one star; some gave the film 10 stars. I understand the point of both ratings. The film does move like a turtle with four broken legs. At the same time, one can't stop watching. As of 5/14/18, there are 69 reviews of this film on IMDb, so the important points about the film are all ready made. This is the type of film that makes one want to turn it off after the first half-hour, or the film sucks you in.

SPOILER... 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 it wasn't a male character.Excellent Movie.

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. Unlike the decrepit and broken down representations of post-apocalyptic worlds that are found in other films, the world in 'The Survivalist' looks really beautiful and bountiful. The director Stephen Fingleton categorically juxtaposes the prosperity of nature with the desperation for survival of the characters in the film. It underlines nature's indifference to human suffering reminiscent of Satyajit Ray's 'Distant Thunder'.What I really liked about 'The Survivalist' is the very very economical use of dialogue. Dialogue is used very very infrequently and so much of the storytelling takes place through visuals. The heavy reliance on visuals, ambient noises and sound effects to convey the protagonist's methodical approach to surviving in this tough, merciless world, really reminded me of J.C. Chandor's 'All Is Lost' starring Robert Redford. But then once the women arrive at his doorstep, the tone changes. After that, we get into an immensely interesting exploration of power dynamics, compromise and collaboration. Fingleton brilliantly confronts us with the central dilemma of the film that plagues the protagonist - whether to rigidly stick to his code for survival or compromise and give in to his needs for physical intimacy after 7 years of living in isolation. 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.

'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. It tells the story of a survivalist man, who reluctantly teams up with two women, one older and one younger, even though there's a strong possibility they might attempt to kill him at any time. It was written and directed by debut feature filmmaker Stephen Fingleton, and it stars Martin McCann, Mia Goth and Olwen Fouere. The film was made on a budget of just $1 million, and it's only received a limited indie theatrical and VOD release, but it's received nearly unanimous rave reviews from critics; it's also won multiple prestigious international awards, and been nominated for many more. 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's built a small cabin for himself there, where he harvests crops for food, and defends himself by setting up traps (for intruders) around his little farm. When two women, one older (Fouere) and one younger (Goth), come to his cabin asking for food, he's very reluctant to trust or help them. He agrees to give them food though, and a place to stay for one night, in exchange for sex with the younger woman. 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). The movie shows his daily routine in great detail, even to the extent of showing him masturbate on seeds in order to help them grow. 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. Once the two women characters do enter the story though, the film is almost always engaging from there on (until the very last scene). It turns into a very dark and disturbing film, that's also sometimes very intense to watch. Although there's very little dialogue in it, the movie is also a great characters study as well. As disturbing as the film almost always is, it's still a very fascinating and worthwhile movie to experience. I highly recommend it.Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: https://youtu.be/hAV3iy1JkJ8