PLOT: A father has raised his son in isolation in hopes of waiting out the apocalypse, but when a random event forces a venture to the outside world, everything changes.
LOWDOWN: Last Survivors (WATCH IT HERE) is the second feature film by Drew Mylrea, the first being the spy comedy Spy Intervention. And usually, such a genre switch is a risk this early on, being that most artists try to carve out a niche in a particular film category before changing gears. Still, Mylrea comes out swinging hard with this thriller that doubles as a drama about life and finding one’s purpose. So, then how does Last Survivors hold up in the end? Grad yourself a Mulled Wine to fight off this obnoxious snow, and let’s dive into this winter-themed suspense flick.
Jake (Drew Van Acker) lives deep in the woods with his strict father, Troy (Stephen Moyer). As survivalists do, they live off the land and keep to themselves. Since the final world war two decades ago, Troy has raised his son with the skills to hunt and survive at all costs. When we first meet the two, it’s an almost peaceful existence. Life consists of killing food to eat, chopping wood for the fire, and keeping a rigid schedule of chores as it’s just these two characters, a cabin, and the nature around them. But things get complicated when Troy kills a man trespassing on their land and gets wounded in the process. Jake must venture outside their safe perimeter for the first time, bring medicine from some abandoned pharmacy, and avoid detection.
Of course, we don’t get much into the world outside Jake and Troy’s eutopia, and besides a few vague flashbacks, we are at the mercy of the storyteller. If you have seen the trailer, you can guess where this goes. Still, director Drew Mylrea is less interested in world-building an apocalypse and wisely focuses on the human element of innate emotions and the bond of family. Last Survivors strength is in its ability to slow down and sit with the characters. Far more of a drama with suspense elements, this is about a boy who grew into a man with the passion and curiosity of life snuffed out by the constant fear and danger of the others who populate the world.
This end-of-the-world narrative is more of a set dressing to explore Jake’s child-like wonder of life and his father Troy’s deep-seated distrust of anything and everything. But once Jake ventures out into the world searching for medicine, he comes across a single woman living on her own, which changes everything he holds sacred. Henrietta (Alicia Silverstone) is around the age of Jake’s mother when she passed, which is before the society broke down, and this is where Last Survivors is at its best and most thoughtful. Jake is a man, and this is the first woman he’s ever seen. His experience in life has stunted his emotional development causing him to be sexually attracted to herm while also seeking parental love.
Alicia Silverstone steals the show here as Henrietta. She’s a flawed character, living in her own isolation, balancing conflicting themes of love, loneliness, and regret. While the main story is Jake falling for an outsider, Henrietta has her own journey of sorts that wisely developed alongside Jake and Troy’s struggle. I’d hate to say this is a bait and switch because the execution is eloquently done. But, Last Survivors works far better when dealing with the grander themes of life and love than as a survival thriller. And what that means to you will significantly affect your overall enjoyment of the story.
Last Survivors can only work if the performances keep up, and besides some clunky dialogue, everyone here brings their A-game. Stephen Moyer’s passion and intensity were easily my favorite part. The man doesn’t f*ck around, and though Troy means well, his authoritative attitude keeps things slightly uneasy and tense throughout the runtime. As he says more than a few times, “This isn’t a democracy,” and he means it. Drew Van Acker’s chemistry with Silverstone hints at many complex emotions between the two characters. Though this flick is too short in its runtime to develop them profoundly, I’m willing to give credit for the effort as Last Survivors could have gone the fast and cheap route and given us a generic love story with little depth.
GORE: We get a few bloody gunshots and animal gutting, but things stay somewhat tame in the blood and gore department.
BOTTOM LINE: Last Survivors trips a bit with its exposition-heavily dialogue, and with such a talented cast, I’m surprised a lot of lines stayed in the script. Why not let the actions of the characters do the talking? But I can forgive such flaws since things worked best when the suspense subsided, and we got to explore their reasoning and conflict. Things can get a bit sappy, and there are a few cringy moments that are so optimistic I rolled my eyes, but Last Survivors has its heart in the right place. Understand that this is a drama first and a thriller second, and you may find a sweet flick inside.
Last Survivors Lands In Theatres and On Demand February 4, 2022.