Survival Skills is a drama film directed by Quinn Armstrong. It is a fake police training video done in the style of an 80s after school special. We follow officer Jim (Vayu O’ Donnell), during his first year on the job. As the film goes on we learn that nothing is at it seems, and things start to get trippy.
I have to hand it to this film; I have not seen anything this unique in a long time. It is a wild crazy ride and it is very hard to tell what is going to happen next. I enjoyed the retro style of the film and think that it added a keen sense of personality to it. However, it did come with a few noticeable visual draw backs.
I found the story of Jim trying to stop a domestic abuser whilst keeping to his policing rules to be truly riveting. It was compelling and we much like Jim really want to see the abuser get what is coming to him, the film shows Jim’s breakdown as he is roadblocked by red tape and turns to taking the law into his own hands.
Overall, I found this to be a very fun watch, nothing was quite as it seemed, the drama was compelling, and the horror was chilling. A very well-done film that is guaranteed to be the most unique film you see this year.
Pros.
The Style
The overlap and crisscrossing worlds
The trippy nature of the whole thing
The horror and the drama
Cons.
The style is a double-edged sword
4.5/5
Another Millennial Reviewer 