What Keeps You Alive, written and directed by Colin Minihan - Seven out of 10

What Keeps You Alive, written and directed by Colin Minihan

Seven out of 10

Up to a point, this is an interesting, different, perhaps modern, somewhat unusual thriller that the critics have so far appreciated, if not exuberantly.

First, the main characters are women, which is a welcome change and a premise that has been called for in a world where heroes have mostly been male- that is wrong, it was not mostly, overwhelmingly or even totally and this is still the case.

However, important as the female figures are for the plot – indeed, even one of the two other personages of this motion picture that appear on the screen is also a woman – they are not the epitome of the role model…one might venture to say that not even the victim would embody all that is positive, desirable and humane, if we don’t condone vengeance as sanctionable.

Hannah Emily Anderson portrays Jackie and Brittany Allen is Jules.

Jackie and Jules travel to the forest, near a beautiful lake where the former used to come with her father, to celebrate their one-year anniversary.

It is already a proposition that, although present in other films, is not often encountered and rather original for two married women to constitute the couple on which almost all the plot rests.

They seem to love each other.

Jackie tells a few stories connected with the impressive house in the woods, the hunting parties and especially one gruesome tale.

She took out a shotgun one day, when she was much younger – a teenager if this is a good piece of information – and she came nearly face to face with a bear.

There was no alternative but to shoot the animal that would have become very dangerous, could have potentially killed the young girl, although with hindsight, one would definitely wonder if this version of events is true.

Knowing what happens next, this fierce passage could well represent one of the moments when this figure has just done something loathsome, enjoyed it and contributed to her evolution – in fact involution might be the right word – into a malicious, destructive character.

Jackie says that she had to shoot the bear, then she saw with horror that the poor creature was  not dead, she was souring terribly, making heartbreaking noises and breathing with great difficulty, obviously in need to have someone end this ordeal, but when the girl tried her gun jammed and she had to watch for twenty minutes this awful scene which would stay forever in her mind- at least this is what she said, only again, given what she would state and do later, it is more than doubtful.

She then adds something about her father who said that “one must kill only what keeps one alive” or words to that effect, which seem to be found in the title, with the message that you must not kill animals, never mind humans, without a cause, meaning most likely only in self-defense for humans and to eat for animals – they have eaten all the parts of that bear, if we are to believe a liar and killer.

The two spouse kiss, caress, embrace undress each other and take their fondling and erotic games to the couch or bed, when a car drives near the house in the woods, they stop and answer the door.

A woman is out there and she is surprised to see Jackie after such a long time, explains that there have been some break ins, she saw the lights at the place which is deserted generally and thought about checking to see what happens.

She calls Jackie with a different name, Megan, and seems to know the woman very well, mentions the past, she looks puzzled that the other person does not seem to know anything about her and then learns she is the wife of her former friend.

The next day, when Jules wakes, she gets a message on the phone – modern day notes take that form – which explains that her wife went to town to get some provisions and she would be back later, causing Jules to take the boat, raw heavily to the other shore to visit Sarah and her husband Daniel.

After the surprise of hearing that her spouse is known under another name, her former friend brings about another explosive piece of information, regarding one who used to be Jackie’s best friend and who has died –we would learn – while the two girls entered a swimming competition across the large lake.

Suddenly, Jackie pushes her wife from a rock, evidently trying to kill her, although this does not happen and it results in a series of chases, fights, confrontations and schemes that are meant to dispose of the spouse and then her body, in what becomes a gripping crime story.

If it appears less than verisimilitudinous in the first instance, when we look at the height, the way the body dropped and then the revelation that Jules is not only alive, unlikely as that is, but she is able to move around, then plot an escape, raw across the lake and confront the agile, well prepared and violent Jackie, later the plot atones for this by presenting very credible if seldom used developments.

If almost always the good wins and the negative character is often killed, beaten to pulp, taken down with the message that it pays to be ethical, positive, moral, in this feature the psychopath might have the upper hand for a good while.

If not exceptional, likely to stay in history with the Bear Rape Movie say, What Keeps You Alive might keep you interested .