![]() ![]() ![]() Bears also have a special association with Jackie. Jules later sees a crow at an important moment in the film and decides to act based on the association she has between the crow and Jackie. Animal Motifs: Jackie and Jules play a game where one of them tries to guess what bird the other is impersonating.Alone with the Psycho: A trope usually reserved for the climactic scene here expands to take up almost the entire film.Action Girl: Both Jules and Jackie are good with guns, particularly the latter, who is also handy using a knife. ![]() This film contains examples of the following: And then Jackie decides to show her all at once. But it sets Jules wondering what other secrets her wife might be keeping. ![]() Jackie's explanation - that she changed her name to cut ties with her old life once she came out as gay - is plausible enough. But soon after they arrive, an old friend of Jackie's shows up and calls Jackie by a different name. It tells the story of Jules (Brittany Allen) and Jackie (Hannah Emily Anderson) who celebrate their one-year anniversary by spending time at Jackie's family home in the remote wilderness. It's a fast-moving, vicious little thriller with two ferocious LGBTQ+ female leads (something of a rarity), but beyond the novelty of the film's setup, it's also often a technically impressive and viscerally shocking survival thriller that actually has something to say.What Keeps You Alive is a 2018 suspense/horror film written and directed by Colin Minihan. The film could be sharper and tighter - ten minutes and at least four endings shorter - but the moments of success in What Keeps You Alive out-weight the film's faults. Trust and betrayal are powerful, universal themes and What Keeps You Alive mines them well for intensity. Meanwhile, Allen is like a walking open wound, both physically (she gets put through the ringer) and emotionally, the beat of her broken heart underscoring the action every step of the way. It would perhaps be more interesting if Jackie were allowed more shades of grey than the relentless psychopath and perfect pretender of normalcy, but she makes a compelling villain and Anderson sells her sinister, imposing presence well. What Keeps You Alive hinges on the battle between these two women, and both Allen and Anderson give game performances for what the script demands of them. The score, written by Allen (who also executive produces) fares a lot better. As a one-time Silverchair diehard, I'll admit a thrill to hearing my familiar middle school jam, but even so, I couldn't help but chuckle when 'Anthem's big moment comes. The film's soundtrack does itself little favors, opting for classical music you've heard in film at least a million times before, and in a truly baffling decision, in our year of the lord 2018, Minihan opts to make Silverchair's 'Anthem for the Year 2000' his power song. Another bold moment showcases Jackie's skill and taste for murder in a shocking, artful sequence of bloodshed when two foolish neighbors come calling for dinner. A second-floor fight scene, shown only from the vantage point of a first-floor perspective, is particularly effective, leaving us to watch the ceiling tremble and shake, each thud increasing the anticipation of who walks down the stairs victorious. A particular purple-lit, sonata-scored sequence teeters into indulgent over interesting, but there are more bold strokes that pay off than those that don't. Still, Minihan crafts tension well, and he endows What Keeps You Alive with a welcome boost of artful panache beyond what you expect from the standard low-budget survival thriller. ![]()
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