Touches You

As Good As It Gets

Absolutely Brilliant!

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

+1SPOILER ALERT (not really an alert as there is nothing to "spoil", but hey...)This film can be most positively described as torpid, cinematic drivel. There is no plot (none worth noting) and no real acting, but there are many well filmed shot of the woods, so it gets two stars for cinematography. The costuming and scene sets are laughable. I want Fingleton's brand of laundry detergent, such white pillowcases... lovely. The main character is an uninteresting, incompetent bungler who has been lucky enough to last seven years alone in a post-apocalyptic woods without being killed. He isn't a "survivalist" at all and has no defensive skills, rather he blunders about without much of a plan tending to a child's garden which could never support him (designed by people who don't know what a subsistence garden looks like), regularly leaves himself completely undefended (2 shells are nothing), never attempts to find or construct new weaponry or build any sort of defences apart from cans on a string (7 years and he can't make a single spear or trap). He's only alive because he hides. There's hardly any dialogue, which is probably a mercy as there is no real plot; it's all about maudy looks and Fingleton has just one expression, the face of a frightened weasel. (Credit where due, Goth has mentally challenged and bored down pat, what range.) No one is attractive, but they all have good bodies. Perhaps that is realistic in an apocalyptic world, but it's so a la mode to "fix" actors with unattractive faces by sending them to the gym, that it grates. I realise that apparently faces are irrelevant these days because audiences find any actor with a well muscled bodies attractive, but they should be able to actually act; of course without lines or a plot, what can one do? When the other "bad guys" finally catch the "survived for a bit by hidingist" for dinner it's a great relief; at least he finally has a purpose. Its a pity they missed Goth and the script writer...

I just don't care about him doing stuff if it doesn't connect much with the plot. The characters were also primitive and unlikable. I'm watching someone cleaning their butt, beating their meat, collecting stuff to put into a tin can for no educational or plot-observable reason, and it's all so dreadfully boring. There are survival videos which show you how to survive, and there are survival movies which give you plots with actual circulation. This has neither and is like watching someone do their laundry. I suggest disregarding this gratuitous movie and finding something else.

What was the point of showing this guys butt as he washed himself up and then him playing with himself? and I mean these weren't quick scenes they dragged on. Except the last one I turned it off I'm not watching that. This isn't a movie it's a gay porn. I have no idea what this movie was trying to be and never will. If you want to make a movie about "survival" start with an actual plot. I can do without the unnecessary stuff thrown in this garbage.

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.