Surviving the Wild, 2018.
Directed by Patrick Alessandrin.
Starring Jon Voight, Jamie Kennedy, Vail Bloom, and Aidan Cullen.
SYNOPSIS:
After the death of his grandfather Shaun (Aidan Cullen) hikes into the mountains to escape his bickering parents followed by a benevolent guardian angel. With only a black Labrador for company Shaun soon discovers there are more things to fear in the wilderness than other animals.
There are good things to be garnered from this rites of passage feature beyond the presence of Oscar winner Jon Voight. Directed with economy the genre conventions of death, divorce and teenage disconnection are approached sensitively, allowing Voight to shape his performance with care. Newcomer Aidan Cullen holds his own opposite the veteran actor who is generous enough to remain understated in their scenes together. Cullen’s Shaun is savvy, emotionally isolated and in need of a guiding hand, which both parents seem incapable of providing.
Vail Bloom and Jaime Kennedy do their best in roles which rarely go beyond stereotypes while the latter part of this film is signposted early on. In the main any dramatic twists involving these two characters feels rushed and convenient, which takes focus away from Voight and Cullen. Whenever you leave them something is lost, as their easy on-screen chemistry and naturalistic performances raise Surviving the Wild to another level.
Fully immersive in its use of panoramic mountain scenery Patrick Alessandrin employs location to lift his meditation on grief and personal growth to somewhere new. Mark Hefti is trying to explore ideas of mortality, parenting, financial status and career aspirations but something gets lost in translation. Voight and Cullen capture their respective emotional states perfectly, while sub plots designed to promote dramatic tension should have been cut completely. They have the opposite effect and actually distract rather than enrich a film which is at heart a generational two hander.
Between Cullen and Voight there exists enough chemistry, charisma and story to carry Surviving the Wild without the intervention of extraneous story threads. Life lessons, back story, character progression and emotional closure are all present and correct between Gus and Shaun. What Voight demonstrates with subtlety, understatement and no small measure of acting chops is that you can say a great deal more without the use of superfluous syllables. This character gives him the opportunity to instill a performance with emotional realism, without doing anything more than reacting off of others. Cullen meanwhile gets to act opposite an Oscar winner in a film which may have been consigned to ignominy were it not for their sterling contributions.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Martin Carr
