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IMDbPro

The Survivalist

  • 2015
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 44m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
20K
YOUR RATING
Martin McCann in 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.
Play trailer1:59
8 Videos
80 Photos
Dystopian Sci-FiDramaSci-FiThriller

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.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.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
    • Martin McCann
    • Mia Goth
    • Olwen Fouéré
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.4/10
    20K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Stephen Fingleton
    • Writer
      • Stephen Fingleton
    • Stars
      • Martin McCann
      • Mia Goth
      • Olwen Fouéré
    • 109User reviews
    • 72Critic reviews
    • 80Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
      • 3 wins & 11 nominations total

    Videos8

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:59
    Official Trailer
    The Survivalist
    Trailer 2:01
    The Survivalist
    The Survivalist
    Trailer 2:01
    The Survivalist
    The Survivalist: Milja Gets Taken
    Clip 1:54
    The Survivalist: Milja Gets Taken
    The Survivalist: Milja Gets Taken (Home Ent.)
    Clip 2:01
    The Survivalist: Milja Gets Taken (Home Ent.)
    The Survivalist: The Survivalist Meets Kathryn And Milja
    Clip 2:24
    The Survivalist: The Survivalist Meets Kathryn And Milja
    The Survivalist: Alone Again
    Clip 1:34
    The Survivalist: Alone Again

    Photos80

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
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    View Poster
    + 75
    View Poster

    Top cast20

    Edit
    Martin McCann
    Martin McCann
    • The Survivalist
    Mia Goth
    Mia Goth
    • Milja
    Olwen Fouéré
    Olwen Fouéré
    • Kathryn
    Douglas Russell
    Douglas Russell
    • Snatcher
    Andrew Simpson
    Andrew Simpson
    • Augustus
    Ryan McParland
    Ryan McParland
    • Crossbow Raider
    Hussina Raja
    Hussina Raja
    • Watchwoman
    Ciaran Flynn
    • Watchman
    Sean Doupe
    Sean Doupe
    • Axe Raider
    Jeremy Martin
    • Raider
    Aran Downey
    • Raider
    Logan Kerr
    • Raider
    Aaron Goldring
    • Raider
    Matthew Henry
    • Raider
    Conor Kelly
    • Raider
    Mícheál Óg Lane
    Mícheál Óg Lane
    • Young Lookout
    • (as Michael Og Lane)
    Caitlin Deeds
    • Settler Woman
    Dexter Louca Godfrey
    • Settlement Child
    • Director
      • Stephen Fingleton
    • Writer
      • Stephen Fingleton
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews109

    6.419.7K
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    Featured reviews

    9euroGary

    A low-budget gem

    The opening shot of 'The Survivalist' cleverly sets the situation in which the film is set: the camera follows two lines on a graph, one showing oil production, the other world population. While the oil one starts to reduce, the population one continues its dizzying climb (appropriately, the film is set in Ireland, home of the European Union's highest birth rate!) until suddenly plummeting. Thus the scene is set.

    An unnamed man (Martin McCann) lives in a forest, protecting his vegetable garden from occasional marauders with his rifle, his knife, and his totally naff haircut. This hand-to-mouth existence is disrupted one morning when a mother and daughter appear, seeking to barter the sexual favours of the daughter (Mia Goth) for food. The two women stay and, although suspicious, the man gradually, slightly, lets down his guard - but are the women as innocent as they appear?

    Essentially a three-hander, at first glance this could make a good play, although live audiences might find their attention wandering during the long periods where nobody speaks as they tramp through the forest, do gardening, or irrigate the crops by urinating on them. But on film these sequences have a quiet beauty (well, not the urination) and, crucially, writer/director Stephen Fingleton - who has won several awards for this work - doesn't over-play them, or drag them out - something of which certain other directors of far more experience would be guilty.

    The acting is good, with all three leads providing low-key but believable - as far as the circumstances allow - performances. Olwen Fouéré is especially noteworthy as the older woman seeking to manipulate things in order to survive, and McCann provides some good facial expressions that well convey emotions that would otherwise remain unexpressed, such is the monosyllabic speech of his character.

    Combining human interest with tension and threat, this is a low-budget gem that is well worth seeing if you get the chance.
    8thekarmicnomad

    Surviving - but alone

    Some unknown disaster has struck the planet causing a severe food shortage, it's every man for himself. The title character is held up all on his own in the woods, subsiding on the meagre scraps he can grow and repels anyone who encroaches on his land.

    Then a woman and her, rather plain looking, daughter show up asking to trade. The Survivalist, devoid of all human contact apart from the marauders he kills, cannot resist the pull of some female companionship.

    This film has a very small stage, concentrating entirely on the three central characters. Dialogue is minimal but effective, the Survivalist is especially grumpy and non-communicative.

    There is a lot of nudity, expect dong shots and people washing their bits in the river and some very grubby sex scenes.

    The scope of the story is small but the stakes for the characters are high. It has a poke around at desperation and necessity. Would you pimp your daughter out for a bowl of soup? I suppose it depends how hungry you are.

    Well made, well acted, small budget but clever lighting makes it look gritty rather than cheap.

    A very good, low octane watch.
    8tdevil9

    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...
    8jamestrucksess

    All acting is on point and it is definitely not predictable

    Definitely a good movie to see. I think the Survivalist says maybe 20 lines in the whole movie but he plays the role perfect. I like the fact that it was hard to predict which direction the movie is going. One thing I am sure everyone hates is to waste their life watching a ridiculous movie that is so predictable where they even throw in bad acting. This won't take you there. At first I thought it was going to be like The Walking Dead but I was happy to see that it was far from that nonsense. The Walking Dead is just another overrated TV show. Enjoy.

    James
    9iconians

    Very well acted

    I overall liked the movie. It didn't try to take on a large topic. It wasn't fun or nice or had a happy ending, just a well told story. Many movies are trying to be more than they are, and this wasn't one of them. It was very well acted and has great visuals. Often times, movie will go for 1-3 minutes without any dialogue, which I found to be an effective way to tell the story.

    Main 3 characters didn't have any allusions of hope; they were just there trying to survive day-to-day. I am a fan of the Dystopian genre; however, often times, it ends up being unrealistic or trying to a franchise maker. This didn't try any of it, and just succeeded to be a strong movie.

    More like this

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    6.1
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    Related interests

    Clive Owen and Clare-Hope Ashitey in Children of Men (2006)
    Dystopian Sci-Fi
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    James Earl Jones and David Prowse in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
    Sci-Fi
    Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
    Thriller

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Was filmed in Antrim, Northern Ireland
    • Goofs
      After Milja is abducted from the pond by the snatcher, the survivalist and Kathryn search desperately for her. They reach the pond, but Milja is missing, finding only her boots on the bank. Milja is then shown with the snatcher in the tall grass wearing her boots.
    • Quotes

      [last lines]

      Milja: [waiting outside gate of settlement] What happens now?

      Watchwoman: They'll be taking a vote. Shouldn't be long. When are you due?

      Milja: Six months - I think.

      Watchwoman: Do you know what'll you call it?

      Milja: If it's a boy...

    • Connections
      Featured in The EE British Academy Film Awards (2016)

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    FAQ19

    • How long is The Survivalist?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 12, 2016 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Official site
      • Official Facebook
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Những Kẻ Sinh Tồn
    • Production companies
      • The Fyzz Facility Film One
      • The Fyzz
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross worldwide
      • $56,971
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 44m(104 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • D-Cinema 48kHz 5.1
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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