Survival Romanticization and Realism

• Survival romanticization is related to what in Running Wild with Bear Grylls seems excitingly adventurous.
• In Running Wild with Bear Grylls, survival is shown as more fun rather than terrifying.
• Bear Grylls has access to a camera crew, medical help, and an escape plan.
• Survival would change if safety nets were removed in a survival context.
• The Survivalist lacks any "safety net" that might be present for others.
• Emotional reactions differ between Bear Grylls and The Survivalist's protagonist.
• Running Wild with Bear Grylls features Grylls talking, whereas The Survivalist has nearly no dialogue.
• Differing experiences of survival arise due to silence versus constant narration.
• The Survivalist and The Road are compared based on tone, theme, and cinematic style.
• The Survivalist is analyzed for critiquing traditional post-apocalyptic narratives.
• The film's sound design is examined.
• The film's connection to Tarkovsky's Stalker and nature's reclamation of human spaces is under review.
• Quiz 4 is due Monday, March 3.
• Extra credit is available.

The Anti-Hollywood Approach

• The Road follows a Hollywood model that involves an emotional father-son bond, hope for salvation, and chances for redemption.
• The Survivalist follows an Anti-Hollywood model with minimal dialogue, little emotional connection, no possibility of redemption, and brutality.
• The Hollywood version of survival suggests morality can continue.
• The Survivalist suggests morality is a luxury during an apocalypse.

Irish background and film bleakness

• Fingleton's Irish background and the film's bleakness may be informed by Ireland's history of famine, colonialism, and struggle.
• Unlike American post-apocalyptic films that feature return to order in some sort of way, The Survivalist suggests order is permanently lost.

Fingleton Quote

• Fingleton argues that "All three of the central characters in The Survivalist are serial killers.”
• Surviving means making decisions that eliminate threats.
• Traditional heroism is absent and there are only those who last longer.
• The mother’s willingness for her daughter to survive is an example.

Sound Design

• There is no musical score in place.
• The soundscape is made up of wind, rain, and nature reclaiming space.
• Sudden bursts of violence are meant to break the quiet.
• Interactions feel tense due to extended silences.
• There is very little dialogue in place over all.

Influence and Field Scenes

• Tarkovsky's Stalker (1979) features overgrown, abandoned spaces where nature has taken over.
• Slow, meditative shots emphasize the decay of human civilization.
• In Stalker, the field is spiritual and possibility filled.
• In The Survivalist, the field is a site of conflict and danger.

Alyssa Ryan's Take

• Alyssa Ryan discusses real-world abandoned sites that resemble post-apocalyptic landscapes.
• Wünsdorf-Waldstadt, Germany was once the largest Soviet military base outside the USSR, but has become a ghost town.
• Packard Automotive Plant, Detroit, a former industrial powerhouse, has now been overtaken by nature.
• Six Flags New Orleans, is a theme park abandoned after Hurricane Katrina, and has now decayed and overgrown.

Absence of Transcendence

• Unlike Stalker, The Survivalist offers no mysticism.
• Stalker has a Zone that is rumored to grant wishes and allows for hope.
• The Survivalist has no salvation, and contains just more suffering.

Discussion Questions

• Stalker asks what is the point of living when desires may never be fulfilled.
• The Survivalist asks what is the point of survival when there is no future to hope for.
• The Survivalist presents a brutal, lonely world without clear hope.
• There is a possibility of transcendence in Stalker, which is a contrast to The Survivalist.
• In The Survivalist, there is no escape or redemption.

Fingleton and Takovsky

• Fingleton was influenced by Stalker's pacing and visuals.
• Stalker's characters seek something greater whereas the Survivalist's characters are trapped in perpetual desperation.

Group Activity

• Locate activity instructions in Canvas Modules, under “In-Class Activities,” “Mapping The Survivalist on the Post-Apocalyptic Spectrum".

Key Takeaways

• The Survivalist offers no clear future, no redemption or transcendence, unlike many post-apocalyptic stories.
• Other films, TV shows, and games often suggest some path forward, even in bleak worlds.
• Different groups placed the film at differing points on the survival spectrum.
• Some post-apocalyptic stories emphasize rebuilding and hope.
• Other stories show a brutal world but still offer personal connections as a reason to continue.
• The Survivalist challenges these ideas by showing a world where morality and human connection are liabilities.