Wilderness Survival for Girls

2004 "Growing Up Can Be Deadly"
5.4| 1h18m| R| en| More Info
Released: 23 June 2004 Released
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Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

Three girls take a pre-college trip to a cabin in the woods. Their night is interrupted by a visitor who, they begin to believe, may have killed a babysitter some years before. An original twist on the teens-in-peril film.

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Reviews

Peereddi I was totally surprised at how great this film.You could feel your paranoia rise as the film went on and as you gradually learned the details of the real situation.
Calum Hutton It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...
Kamila Bell This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.
Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.
bob_meg Three college friends, Ruth, Deb, and Kate, recently graduated, set out for a long weekend at Kate's parents' remote cabin. They intend to do nothing but sunbathe, get stoned, and dish on boys until they stumble upon the loaded shotgun and dead fox stashed in their fridge.That's when they meet Ed (James Morrison), a disenfranchised mountain man who has been squatting in the usually vacant summer house for months.It's a great set-up, primarily because you never really know if Ed is a psycho or if he's just a poor homeless guy who's just angry that he's been busted by a trio of teens.It's also great because, compared to the girls, Ed seems almost well-adjusted. Ruth is a closeted lesbian with a crush on Deb, Deb is the under-achieving party girl resentful of Kate and Ruth's money and academic success, and Kate has serious man and confidence issues. Oh yeah, and there's also the fact that Deb was brutally assaulted by her stepfather years before. Then there's that almost urban legendy story of the babysitter and her boyfriend who were hacked to pieces by a deranged mountain man just miles from Kate's family's place....You get the idea. "Wilderness Survival For Girls" is chock full of rich character development, decent acting, and plenty of twists and turns (and plot angles to work them from). It's one of those movies where you won't find yourself looking at the clock once.Is it a nonstop suspense thrill ride, ala "High Tension" or "Them?" No. The thrills here are more psychological than anything. But it doesn't preclude them from being any less brutal and shocking.
wolfnapper They put the same girl (Ruth) in charge of watching over the "killer" TWICE while the other two went off to chat/make out? Ruth, who was dumb enough to be tricked into actually untying the hands of the prisoner and was about to do some spit-swapping with the guy? I mean, at that point, my patience for these girls just wore out. Yes, they're young and lack any wisdom, but it gets to a point where credibility is strained so badly you just can't root for them any more. At that point, I was so fed up with their stupidity I began cheering for Morrison's character to just turn out to be a real killer and start firing away with his shotgun. Or worse. The laws of Darwinism should apply here in full measure.The writing on this terrible movie was just abysmal. I don't fault the actors involved as they did their jobs competently, even the directing seemed to be fine. It's the writing that was just so poor, it undid everything else about this movie. I never developed one iota of sympathy for the three protagonists and yet oddly enough from the moment he first appears, Morrison's character is far more identifiable and easier to empathize with. And he simply isn't the complete idiot the other three are, which has the most to do with it probably.
John Koenig I was given this DVD by a friend along with a bunch of others, all low-budget exploitation films. I actually watched this one last, because the title made it seem the least promising. Boy was I wrong! WSFG was by far the best, and deserves to receive a fair amount of acclaim.The cast of four is all excellent and perfectly cast. (It's fascinating to see the screen tests that show each of the three actresses reading a different part than they were ultimately given, and seeing why the casting decisions were made.) This is a seriously intended and excellently acted teen thriller, which still contains some erotic scenes and nudity -- though the players are still well thought out and given a depth of character. This film is definitely to be recommended. Special praise to the young actresses who should all go on to bigger roles.
Kenn-15 This first feature from the talented producer, director, writer and editor team of Eli Despres and Kim Roberts, shot on video in 18 days, marks an impressive debut and one not to be missed, if you are lucky enough to have the opportunity to catch it in a film festival or in its limited theatrical run. Otherwise, keep your eyes peeled for the DVD and video release, if you like indie films that have that unpredictable and slightly off-center (but completely authentic) feel about them. I, for one, appreciate films that can't easily be categorized, or that use established genres in interesting new ways, and this film qualifies. Three girls go to an isolated cabin retreat in the mountains of Colorado to celebrate their graduation from high school. Almost immediately lots of possibilities present themselves: Is this going to be a coming of age story? Is it going to be a "stranger in the dark woods terrorizing teenagers" slasher movie? Is it going to be a comedy about how bratty teenage girls treat each other? Well, what if some talented filmmakers put all those ingredients into a blender -- along with a few more -- and whip up a whole new, satisfying recipe? Sometimes these "genre-bending" exercises can fall flat on their faces, but in this case, the filmmakers -- because of a great script, great acting, and some beautiful camera-work and sure-footed editing -- take you along for the ride.