Movie Review: Backcountry

Backcountry (2015) *** / *****

Directed by: Adam MacDonald.

Written by: Adam MacDonald.

Starring: Jeff Roop (Alex), Missy Peregrym (Jenn), Eric Balfour (Brad), Nicholas Campbell (Ranger).

 

I cannot help but wonder if writer/director Adam MacDonald intended for the audience of Backcountry to not know what waiting out in the woods for his central couple (if you don’t know, just go watch the movie – and don’t look at the poster before you do). I wonder this because it takes a long time (more than two-thirds of the 90 minute runtime) before the star that the advertising has promised actually shows up and does anything. Up until then, he has skillfully built the tension, and shown us multiple threats to the couple’s safety that turn out to be red herrings. The film is building to something – and when it hits, it hits. (Okay fair warning to this four year movie – if you don’t know what the film is about yet, and want to see it, just stop reading and go watch the film – I’m going to stop being coy about it in a minute or two).

 

Alex (Jeff Roop) and Jenn (Missy Peregrym) are city dwellers, who are heading to a Northern Ontario provincial park for a few days of hiking and camping. She has never gone camping before – doesn’t particularly care about it – but he’s gung ho. He’s got a plan for the weekend that involves taking her to his favorite place as a child – the Blackfoot Trail. He’s so confident that he knows where to go, that he even rejects the offer of the park ranger (Nicholas Campbell) of a map. The scene with Campbell, a well-known character actor to Canadian audiences, probably not so much outside here, provides several different red herring – the first being that Campbell is, himself, deliberately more than little creepy, and the second talk about too many crazies on the Blackfoot Trail – which is why it’s closed for the season. So along with the no map thing, we now have three potential threats to the couple. We’ll add another threat at the end of the first act, as the couple come across Brad (Eric Balfour) – a hunky Irishman – out in the forest – or more accurately, Brad comes across Jenn as Alex is gathering firewood. They share a tense dinner together – where everyone is polite, up to a point, but it’s clear the two men are sizing each other up – and Alex starts to feel insecure – and Brad pushes harder and harder. It’s also in this scene where we learn more about the dynamic between Jenn and Alex – that she is a lawyer, and he’s working for a friend with a landscaping business. This whole trip, with Alex overcompensating for everything, is perhaps a way to feel manlier – and show that off to Jenn. It’s also what leads him to keep making stupid mistakes.

 

All of these are red herrings of course. Yes, their relationship is strained, but strained in a way that really does feel real. She is willing to go along on the hike, and defends him to Brad, etc. – but when he makes a mistake (and then another) – the true feelings come out, and the gloves come off. But even that isn’t the real threat – at least the one that will kill them. That, of course, is a bear – a giant hulking black bear, who makes a brief appearance at the hour mark – pushing his snout against their tent as they sleep – and will eventually come back for more. When the attack finally does hit – it’s a bloody doozy, horrific and horrifying in the way you expect – and then the film becomes a survival thriller for the one who isn’t killed.

 

All of this works remarkably well. The film slowly builds the tension throughout its runtime – you’re never quite sure where the horror is going to come from. At the end, you may feel a little bit cheated – because of all the red herrings and themes brought up and discarded, etc. But while the film is playing, it works remarkably well.