Frightfest 2024: ‘Survive’ Review
Stars: Andreas Pietschmann, Émilie Dequenne, Lisa Delamar, Lucas Ebel, Olivier Ho Hio Hen, Arben Bajraktaraj | Written by Alexandre Coquelle, Mathieu Oullion | Directed by Frédéric Jardin
Opening with on-screen text, Survive sets up the terror to come by highlighting how the Earth has experienced five mass extinction events since it’s formation. The most ominous part appears in the next line, which reads “The sixth is just beginning.”
Director Frédéric Jardin (2011’s excellent Sleepless Night) then focuses on a yacht cruising the Caribbean sea. Inhabiting it is a family made up of German oceanographer Tom (Andreas Pietschmann). his French doctor wife Julia (Émilie Dequenne), and their teenage children Cassie (Lisa Delamar) and Ben (Lucas Ebel). Their celebrations for Ben’s 13th birthday are cut short by a violent storm, leading to a rough night which nearly capsizes the yacht.
When the family awaken, they are shocked to discover that they are in a post-apocalyptic desert landscape. As though the Earth has played an Uno reverse card, the magnetic poles have undergone a reversal which has seen the seas dry up into rocky deserts, while land has been submerged underwater. As danger lurks across what were once hidden depths, the family races to find Captain Nao (Olivier Ho Hio Hen) and his now landlocked submarine before the waters return when the poles reverse again.
Adapted from a screenplay by Alexandre Coquelle and Mathieu Oullion, Jardin delivers a story which feels like familiar territory after an elongated set-up. Once the elaborate stage has been set, what unfolds is another tale of post-apocalyptic survival within a barren landscape that carries the remnants of a once-thriving society. The vanishing of the oceans allows what they once hid to be on show for anybody to see, showcasing what was dumped in the watery depths such as toxic waste and mounds of plastic. This reveal also brings forth the environmental damage that humanity inflicted, leaving one to question if the extinction event is revenge from mother nature.
What is for certain is that physical dangers are present, with the degradation of humanity embodied within a single crazed killer (Arben Bajraktaraj), and the deep-sea dangers depicted with hungry crabs that hunger for human flesh. Anchoring this fantastical tale of survival is the central family, brought alive well by the cast to convey the difficulties as their characters are stripped of privileges and necessities. It results in some decisions which are frustrating, although they soon adapt to this dangerous landscape. It may not last in the memory for long, yet Survive is a sold work that gets the job done rather well.
*** 3/5
Survive screened as part of this year’s Frightfest London. The film will also be available on digital platforms on 30th September, distributed by Signature Entertainment.
