Backcountry

"Survive."

2015 1h 32m EN

😐

6.0

MID

★6.0TMDB · 748

HorrorThrillerDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A couple on a deep-wilderness hike become hopelessly lost within an aggressive black bear's territory.

“Survive.”

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Cast

Missy Peregrym
Jenn
Jeff Roop
Alex
Eric Balfour
Brad
Nicholas Campbell
Ranger

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Adam MacDonald
Writers: Adam MacDonald
Languages: English
Countries: Canada

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 11 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

CRAFT

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Adam MacDonald, shot by Christian Bielz. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Frères Lumières. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Dev Singh shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Missy Peregrym and Jeff Roop and Eric Balfour carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Survive.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt2944198 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Adam MacDonald directs. Christian Bielz behind the camera. Frères Lumières scores. Dev Singh cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Canada. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 11 years ago.
2Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
3Directed by Adam MacDonald, shot by Christian Bielz. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Frères Lumières. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Dev Singh shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Missy Peregrym and Jeff Roop and Eric Balfour carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Survive.".
8IMDB entry: tt2944198 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 16 themes, including "camping", "animal attack", "grave", "gore".

The technical file

Cinematography: Christian Bielz
Original score: Frères Lumières
Editing: Dev Singh
Production design: Pierre Bonhomme
Makeup / hair: David Scott
Runtime: 92 min · 1h 32m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Backcountry (2015)

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Adam MacDonald

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Reno2017-04-26
★ 5/10
Under the limit, but acceptable for being honest! I watched the entire film without knowing it was based on the real. Only on the later I came to know that and my stance has changed a bit. Because it's not always about the quality of the product, but something revealing truth is most important to me in films. It was honest and not following the blueprint of a similar kind was the advantage. Obviously it was a small budget B movie with unfamiliar cast. So while watching it, I thought why they (film characters) not doing like this, that. Because entertainment films should do that for its viewers to please, but its notion was not that. It was depicting the actual event. Well, most of the crucial scene with the beast was just acceptable due to the category of film it belongs. Can't afford graphics nor trained animal, but I appreciate the effort. Story wise, it takes time to come to the point. And then everything happens so fast before the end approach. Initially, the narration teases with a different kind of thriller, but after some developments, it accomplishes its mission. Like I said don't expect something like 'The Revenant'. This film is not for the recommendation, but trying it out on your own is not a bad idea. 5/10
Gimly2019-01-20
★ 5/10
For a movie whose one thing is summed up in the Play School theme, "There's a bear in there", there could have been more bear in there. The intial contact with said ursine is magnificent though. Final rating:★★½ - Had a lot that appealed to me, didn’t quite work as a whole.
Wuchak2019-03-01
★ 7/10
Lost-in-the-woods-and-menaced-by-nature Indie A young couple from the big city (Jeff Roop & Missy Peregrym) goes hiking & camping at a Provincial Park in the wilderness and find themselves lost and harassed by primal perils, human and animal. Eric Balfour is on hand as a dubious Irish outdoors guide. Written/directed by Adam MacDonald, “Backcountry” (2014) was inspired by the true story of Mark Jordan & Jacqueline Perry and their encounter with a man-eating bear in the wilds of Missinaibi Lake Provincial Park, North of Chapleau, Ontario, in 2005. Peregrym is reminiscent of Hilary Swank while Roop brings to mind a younger, less goofy Ray Romano. The movie’s basically a low-rent meshing of survival-in-the-woods flicks like “Deliverance” (1972) and “The Edge” (1997). If you’re in the mood for this kind of flick, “Backcountry” is pretty well done for an Indie. Sometimes the acting by the protagonists is questionable, but it’s all-around serviceable and occasionally very good. The attack sequence & gore are excellent for such a low budget film. Some viewers have question the inclusion of the suspicious woodsman in the first act, but it corresponds to story structure "rules" in any type of suspense yarn, which is: When things slow down, bring in some kind of conflict, particularly in the first act. In other words, to encourage a viewer to keep watching give him/her something near the beginning: conflict, trouble, fear, violence. I was honestly bored with the movie up until Brad (the guide) was introduced, which ultimately leads to confrontation. This relatively gripping sequence perked up my attention and encouraged me to keep watching. It's WHY the writer/director included it, along with it being a challenge to Alex’ competency, plus a red herring. The film runs 1 hour, 32 minutes and was shot at Restoule Provincial Park and nearby Powassan, Ontario (just south of North Bay), as well as Caddy Lake, Manitoba; I’m assuming the city sequence was shot in Toronto. GRADE: B/B-