Survival: 49

Directed by John Curran, the Australian drama film Tracks (2013) stars Mia Wasikowska and Adam Driver. Based on Robyn Davidson’s memoir of the same name, it follows her nine-month camel trek through the Australian desert. The film was featured at both the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival (Special Presentation) and the 70th Venice International Film Festival. In 1977, Robyn moves to Alice Springs with plans to embark on a 2,700-kilometre journey across the ...

Alfonso Cuarón’s sci-fi thriller, Gravity (2013), follows the journey of the Space Shuttle Explorer as it orbits Earth to service the Hubble Space Telescope. Commanded by veteran astronaut Matthew ‘Matt’ Kowalski, the ship is joined by Dr. Ryan Stone, who is on her first space mission to perform hardware upgrades on the telescope. However, their peaceful mission is interrupted when Houston reveals a dangerous situation caused by the Russian government shooting down a presumed defunct spy satellite. As more communication satellites are disabled by debris, Mission Control orders the crew to return to ...

Kon-Tiki (2012), a historical drama directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg, tells the story of the 1947 Kon-Tiki expedition. It was primarily filmed on the island of Malta. The film follows Thor Heyerdahl, an experimental ethnographer and adventurer, as he attempts to prove his theory that Polynesia was settled by people from South America before Columbus’s time. This theory is supported by the similarities between statues found in South America and those on Easter Island, as well as Polynesian folklore about an ancient tribe known as the Hanau epe who were ...

Life of Pi (2012), an adventure-drama film directed and produced by Ang Lee and written by David Magee, shares the story of Pi Patel. In Canada, a writer is told that Pi would make a compelling subject for a book. Pi recounts his experiences to the writer: being named after the famous French swimming pool Piscine Molitor Patel by his father and adopting the nickname ‘Pi’ during his secondary schooling in Pondicherry as a means of avoiding bullying. Growing up in a Hindu household, Pi becomes interested in Christianity and Islam at the age of 12, ultimately ...

Sanctum (2011), a 3D action-thriller, follows the story of expedition bank-roller Carl Hurley, his girlfriend Victoria ‘Vic’ Elaine, and seventeen-year-old Joshua ‘Josh’ McGuire as they embark on a journey to the Esa’ala Cave in Papua New Guinea. Josh’s father, master diver Frank, has set up a base camp inside the cave where the team has been exploring for weeks. While Josh expresses his frustration towards his father and their differing views on cave exploration, the team prepares to venture into an uncharted section of the system. As Judes explores the new system, she encounters a problem with her air tank hose. This results in ...

In the survival thriller film The Grey (2011), co-written, produced and directed by Joe Carnahan, John Ottway is a sharpshooter protecting staff from frequent grey wolf attacks at a remote Alaskan oil facility. After losing his wife to a terminal illness, Ottway becomes depressed and indifferent towards life. On his final day of work, he contemplates suicide before boarding a flight back to Anchorage with his coworkers. Unfortunately, the plane crashes in an icy wilderness and Ottway must survive alongside John Diaz, Jerome Talget, Pete Henwick, Todd Flannery, Jackson ...

The Australian survival horror film, The Reef (2010), follows a group of friends on a dangerous voyage to Indonesia. Luke, the captain, invites his companions Matt and Suzie, along with Matt’s sister Kate and sailor Warren, to join him on the trip. However, their journey becomes perilous when they encounter a coral reef which causes their yacht to capsize. As the current pulls them further away from land, Luke makes a plan for them to swim to nearby Turtle Island. Meanwhile, Warren activates an EPIRB device but is informed by Luke that it requires a plane overhead to receive the signal. While Luke suggests swimming to safety on the island, Warren strongly ...

The American psychological survival horror film, Frozen (2010), was written and directed by Adam Green. Dan Walker, along with his girlfriend Parker O’Neal and best friend Joe Lynch, headed to a ski resort for a day of adventure on the slopes. However, on their final night at the resort, they convinced the ski lift operator to let them take one more run before the weather closed the resort for the week. The first operator then handed off responsibility to a second operator and mentioned that three people still needed to come down. Unfortunately, the second operator mistook another group of skiers for Dan, Parker ...

Buried (2010) is an intense survival thriller directed by Rodrigo Cortés. The film follows American civilian Paul Conroy, played by Ryan Reynolds, who finds himself trapped in a wooden coffin with minimal supplies after being ambushed by terrorists while working in Iraq. As he tries to piece together his situation, he realizes he has been kidnapped and is being held for ransom by his captor Jabir. With only a Zippo lighter, pen, and BlackBerry phone at his disposal, Paul desperately tries to contact help but receives no assistance from 911, the FBI, or his employer. Faced ...

The survival drama, 127 Hours (2010), was written and directed by Danny Boyle. In April of 2003, experienced hiker Aron Ralston sets out on a solo trip in Utah’s Canyonlands National Park without telling anyone. While on his journey, he meets two lost hikers named Kristi and Megan and helps them find their way. During their time together, they stumble upon an underground pool and spend the afternoon enjoying it. The girls invite Aron to a party the next night and he happily agrees before saying goodbye. Continuing through Bluejohn Canyon, Aron comes across an 800-pound boulder that suddenly breaks loose while he ...

The Road (2009), an American post-apocalyptic film directed by John Hillcoat and written by Joe Penhall, is based on the 2006 novel of the same name by Cormac McCarthy. It follows a father and son as they struggle to survive in a world ravaged by an unspecified catastrophe that wiped out all plant and animal life. Together, they travel along a road towards the coast in search of safety, scrounging for resources and avoiding violent gangs of cannibals armed with guns. Years earlier, the man’s wife gives birth to their ...

The thriller film, The Canyon (2009), written by Steve Allrich and directed by Richard Harrah, follows the tale of newlyweds Nick and Lori. After eloping, the couple embarks on a mule ride into the canyon with their guide, Henry. As they descend further into the canyon, the trio comes across old petroglyphs that are a half day’s ride away. Despite Nick’s initial reluctance, he persuades Lori to join them on the journey. Tragically, during the trip, Henry is attacked twice by rattlesnakes and their mules run off in fear. Left stranded, the three make camp for ...

10,000 BC (2008) is an American action-adventure film co-written, co-produced and directed by Roland Emmerich, with additional writing and scoring by Harald Kloser. The movie follows a tribe called the Yagahl living in the Ural Mountains during the last Ice Age. Their main source of sustenance is hunting woolly mammoths, but their numbers are rapidly decreasing. A skilled hunter who has successfully taken down a dangerous animal receives blessings from an elder shaman named Old Mother. When the village chief discovers a young survivor named Evolet, who had escaped from a ...

The American biographical adventure drama film, Into the Wild (2007), was written, co-produced, and directed by Sean Penn. Based on the 1996 non-fiction book by Jon Krakauer of the same name, it tells the story of Chris McCandless who arrives in Healy, a remote area just north of Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska. Upon realizing McCandless’ lack of preparedness, the man who gives him a ride provides him with gumboots. McCandless then sets up camp in an abandoned city bus that he dubs ‘The Magic Bus’. Enjoying his solitude and surrounded by ...

The popular survival television series, Man vs. Wild (2006–2020), goes by many names, including Born Survivor: Bear Grylls, Ultimate Survival, and Survival Game. In the United Kingdom, it is often referred to simply as Bear Grylls. Originally shown on Channel 4 in the UK, the later seasons were broadcast on Discovery Channel UK. Produced by Diverse Bristol, the show premiered on November 10, 2006, following a pilot episode titled The Rockies which aired on March 10, 2006. In addition, Grylls mentioned being approached about directing a Man vs. Wild urban disaster 3D ...

Seraphim Falls (2006) is an unconventional Western movie helmed by David Von Ancken, known for his work in television. The film is set in 1868, deep within the Ruby Mountains, where Gideon enjoys a meal of roasted hare over a crackling fire. Suddenly, he is ambushed and hit in the left arm. Grabbing what he can, he makes a frantic descent down the mountain. Meanwhile, Colonel Morsman Carver and his team consisting of Pope, Hayes, Parsons and the Kid emerge to investigate his abandoned campsite. Carver has hired them to track down Gideon. Determined to survive, Gideon removes the bullet from his arm with a Bowie knife ...

Open Water 2: Adrift (2006) is a German English-language psychological horror thriller film directed by Hans Horn, inspired by the short story Adrift by Japanese author Koji Suzuki. Though the original title was taken from the story, promotional posters claimed it was based on actual events. The film has no connection to Open Water (2003) and its script had been written before the release of the latter. A group of friends, including Amy, James, Zach, Lauren, Dan, and his new girlfriend Michelle, embark on a weekend cruise on Dan’s new yacht. While ...

Eight Below (2006) is an American survival drama film, adapted from the 1983 Japanese film Antarctica. In January 1993, Jerry Shepard, a guide at a National Science Foundation Antarctic research base, agrees to take UCLA professor Dr. Davis McClaren to Mount Melbourne in search of a rare meteorite from Mercury. Due to poor ice conditions, they travel by dog sled. Despite successfully reaching the mountain, they are forced to return to base camp when a storm approaches. However, McClaren pleads for additional time and Shepard grants him half a day, which is just enough for McClaren to locate a fragment of the meteorite. On their way back to camp, McClaren ...

Lost (2004–2010) is an American sci-fi adventure drama series developed by Jeffrey Lieber, J. J. Abrams, and Damon Lindelof for ABC, running from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010 for six seasons and a total of 121 episodes. The show incorporates supernatural elements and chronicles the lives of the survivors of a commercial flight from Sydney to Los Angeles that crashes on an enigmatic island in the South Pacific Ocean. Each episode delves into a main storyline on the island while also featuring flashbacks or ...

The Snow Walker (2003) is a Canadian survival drama film that was written and directed by Charles Martin Smith. The story follows Charlie Halliday, a Canadian bush pilot who served in the Second World War and is now based in Yellowknife. While on a routine job in the Queen Maud Gulf during the summer of 1953, Charlie comes across a group of Inuit who are in need of his assistance. They have a sick young woman named Kanaalaq with them and they ask Charlie to fly her to a hospital as they suspect she has tuberculosis. Initially hesitant, Charlie eventually agrees to help when they offer him two valuable walrus tusks. ...