The Survivalist Page #11

Synopsis: In a kill-or-be-killed world where starvation is rife and strangers are always dangerous, The Survivalist lives off the grid, and by his wits. When a starving woman and her teenage daughter discover his forest refuge, his loneliness drives him to overcome his suspicion and strike a bargain with them in return for bed and board. But as desire becomes stronger than necessity, the exchange becomes an uneasy, ongoing arrangement which threatens not only his carefully constructed world but also his life.
Director(s): Stephen Fingleton
Production: IFC Midnight
  Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 3 wins & 10 nominations.
 
IMDB:
6.4
Metacritic:
80
Rotten Tomatoes:
97%
NOT RATED
Year:
2015
104 min
447 Views


A MAN'S FACE emerges behind her. Her scream is GAGGED by a

hand clenching her mouth, yellow fingernails digging into

her cheek.

She squirms until she feels the cold hard barrel of a

revolver against her head.

EXT. FARM'S EDGE - DAY

Survivalist bounds through the forest.

KATHRYN (OFF)

Milja!

He knows the land better than Kathryn, and soon has a

steady lead in the hunt. He races through whipping, snap-

back branches and his feet find sure ground.

He bursts through trees to find the stream. Milja's shoes

lie at the waterside.

SPLASH... he's jumped in the water and is running

downstream.

He scans the stream banks as he runs.

Kathryn emerges through the trees into the stream clearing.

She sees Milja's shoes.

Grief swells... the horror of this world without Milja. But

she's been in this world too long to let it slow her down -

she leaps into the water.

Way downstream, Survivalist finds the water too deep to run

through. He doubles back, scans every forest gap on the

muddy banks for footprints.

Kathryn's voice - MILJA, MILJA! echoes upstream.

His sharp eyes catch a white, exposed piece of branch,

where it's just been snapped. He mounts the bank, clearing

through branches into...

EXT. CLEARING - DAY

A bluebell-filled clearing; light corridors streaming down

between foliage onto the tall flowers.

Survivalist eases opens the breech of the shotgun. He

reaches to his jacket pocket... feels the strange texture

inside.

He finds two small, smooth stones.

EXT. STREAM - DAY

The stones SMASH into the water. Survivalist steps down

into the stream, away from the clearing.

He makes his way back up the water.

Then he stops.

He looks at the useless, open weapon in his hands.

SURVIVALIST:

F***!

EXT. FOREST - DAY

Kathryn wades desperately through virgin, unbroken forest.

Her eyes flint around her.

EXT. STREAM - DAY

Survivalist locks the breech of the shotgun. He straps it

over his shoulder again and mounts the bank.

EXT. CLEARING - DAY

Survivalist steps into the clearing, holding the gun like

it's ready for action.

The SNATCHER could be here. He could have gone.

Survivalist surveys the awful tranquillity. His breath

begins cashing the cheques his running has made, thick and

heavy through his nostrils.

He hunkers onto knees. Looks through the flowers...

But if he could see the bird's eye view... he'd see the

SNATCHER lying hidden in the flowers, pressed on top of

Milja.

Snatcher's got his hand over her mouth and a revolver

pressed against her temple. (It's an ancient, World War II

gun, perhaps an illicit family heirloom pressed into

service by catastrophe).

He raises his head above the flower-line and gets a look at

Survivalist. Survivalist pivots with the gun, turning away

from Snatcher's viewpoint.

Milja whelps... quiet, involuntary.

The Snatcher jabs the revolver harder against her skull.

Survivalist pretends not to have heard it, but his posture

has stiffened.

He listens for more sounds...

Then Snatcher leans up...

... takes the gun from Milja's head...

... aims at SURVIVALIST, centre of mass...

... and SHOOTS HIM.

Survivalist collapses, his body swallowed by bluebells.

EXT. FOREST - DAY

The shot ECHOES in the forest. Kathryn stops stock still.

She changes direction and runs towards the sound.

EXT. THE CLEARING - DAY

Snatcher collapses back onto Milja, gun back to her temple.

His lips do a silent ten count.

Then he raises his head over the flowers.

Survivalist is still sunk out of view.

Snatcher drags Milja to her feet. Pushing her in front, he

creeps towards where Survivalist's collapsed.

They reach the depression in the flowers - Snatcher tenses

and holds Milja's mouth tighter still.

He leans forward to see:

Survivalist lying on his back, eyes closed, a bloody chest

wound - still gently pumping - showing through his jacket.

Messy entry - Snatcher must have filed the tips of his

bullets.

Snatcher's revolver hovers from Milja's head to

Survivalist's face. He evaluates the killshot.

He wavers. Tilts the revolver - sees the edge of a SINGLE

BULLET left in the chamber.

Snatcher waistbands the revolver and pulls out his knife,

letting Milja taste the cool edge of the blade with the

skin of her neck.

He forces her knees down into the dirt. He pushes her head

onto the ground, straddling her. He is within striking

distance of Survivalist.

He raises the knife -

Like something out of nightmare, Survivalist's eyes open

wide and white.

He GRABS Snatcher's raised hand and STABS a hunting knife

into his neck.

Snatcher drops his blade and clutches at the knife buried

under his chin. He gets it out after a few slippery grabs,

blood pumping over his collar bone. He rolls onto the

ground, choking, clasping at the gaping neck wound that's

lapping blood down his throat.

As Snatcher goes about quietly dying, Survivalist tears a

strip off his own bloody shirt and uses it as a weak

compress against his chest wound.

Kathryn arrives in the clearing. She rushes to Milja,

finding the wounded Survivalist and the pretty-much dead

Snatcher by her side.

Milja nods that she's OK.

Kathryn sees the shotgun.

She picks it up. She takes the shells she's been carrying

and slots it in. C*cks it.

She turns to Survivalist, who is being helped to his feet

by Milja.

The revolver is in his hand.

INT. CABIN, MAIN ROOM - NIGHT

Milja shoulders Survivalist inside. He is pale from blood

loss.

Kathryn follows, shotgun strapped over shoulder.

Milja sits him down on a chair. Together they pull off the

remains of his bloody shirt.

In the window light Milja gets a better look at the wound;

She pours water over it, fresh blood seeping through

quickly.

She gently pushes her fingers into his flesh. Survivalist

clenches teeth.

Milja shakes her head - she can't find it.

She moves quickly to the shelves and takes down a toolbox.

Kathryn and Survivalist eye each other; he still has the

gun in his hand, she still has the loaded shotgun slung

over her shoulder.

Milja steps past her and uses the sparker to light the

stove. She runs a Stanley knife under the flames.

Kathryn undoes Survivalist's leather belt. She folds it and

offers it to Survivalist; he chomps down, never taking his

eyes off her.

Milja kneels beside him with the knife. He tucks the

revolver in his waistband and gives her the nod.

Milja pricks and inspects the wound. Survivalist's teeth

clench HARD on the belt. Kathryn holds Survivalist down as

Milja digs into his flesh...

Survivalist JOLTS with the pain. Kathryn restrains him with

surprising strength.

Milja gets deeper inside his wound.

Survivalist's eyes water, teeth biting deep into the belt.

Milja flicks the knife. A piece of metal hits the bowl she

holds and fresh blood pumps out of Survivalist's wound and

the Stanley's fresh lacerations.

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Stephen Fingleton

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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