Jumbled Thoughts: Backcountry

I just finished watching “Backcountry” - a film that came out last year about a couple that go on a camping trip in the woods and are stalked by a bear.

I was expecting a sort of predictable survival story with characters I’ve seen a million times before making stupid mistakes which ultimately lead to their all too foreseeable deaths.

“Backcountry” was not that.

Now, before I really start to get into it I want to make one thing clear here: I’m not really great at traditional “reviews”. I don't like writing them. When I think about movies, I generally just type my semi-organized thoughts on it and wonder why anyone would bother reading it. Hence, "jumbled thoughts". 

So, the one thing that really stood out for me in “Backcountry” that tends to be lacking in horror was the depth of the main characters and their relationship with each other. There is no unnecessary exposition which leads to very natural dialogue and reactions as circumstances unfold around them. They seem like a real couple with real affections and real struggles. I wanted them both to survive. I really did. 

I especially enjoyed the change in the female lead’s personality once her boyfriend stopped trying to shield her from what was happening. There really is so much great development in the characters. 

You’re also well into the movie before the bear shows up. So far in in fact that halfway through I forgot what the main plot of the film was. Which is not to say that “Backcountry” is wrapped up in subplots and can’t stay focused, it’s more a credit to its slow build and tension. And it is tense. When signs on the bear start to show up, you start to get nervous. As things slowly build, your shoulders get tense. When something finally does happen, it’s almost a relief. 

Almost.

I really want to avoid spoilers but I have to say this: there is one scene of violence in the movie. Just one. And it is fucking brutal. In part because what you’re seeing and hearing really is just awful but also because it’s the first aggressive thing to happen in the movie so you’re just really shocked by it.  

This whole movie is such a refreshing change from new horror as of late: no stupid and/or false jump scares, no predictable dialogue or events, no wooden characters - it’s a really great flick about two people who get themselves into an awful situation, not a movie about a killer bear in the woods.