 |
| Source: 'What Keeps You Alive' (2018) / Courtesy of Netflix UK |
Thrillers today face the fierce threat of becoming overworked and underwhelming, following the same generic conventions that do make the genre so recognisable and notorious - but predictable. The typical insatiable serial killer targets a group of unsuspecting, painstakingly cliche teenagers before the film results in a one-versus-one and a triumphant win for the lovable protagonist. 'What Keeps You Alive', directed by Colin Minihan and released initially in 2018, defies the archetypal features of overplayed thrillers and uses this traction to emotionally torture both the characters and audience alike.
Newlyweds, Jules (Brittany Allen) and Jackie (Hannah Emily Anderson) retreat into the woods for their first anniversary, creating the foundational illusion that the two are blindly in love. The couple are displayed in a sickly-sweet fashion upon their introduction, before elements of Jackie's character begin to erode and her corruptions are brought to light, despite her fervent theatrics. The (evidently feigned) bond between these characters is deeply rooted and undeniable, thus heightening the effects of the disjoint and turbulence that occur relatively early on. As Jackie's psychopathic tendencies unfurl in conjunction to the narrative, the audience's perception of the once gum-achingly saccharine pairing also distorts. This film twists your arm to breaking point in the first quarter, before twisting it right back simply to torment you further. Subtleties unearth Jackie's sinister past and ultimately cement 'one of the most chilling psychopaths portrayed in modern media', according to viewers.
Jackie's questionable past arrives quite literally on her doorstep in the form of Sarah (Martha MacIsaac), embedding the roots of Jackie's questionable credibility. Jules responds with bewilderment and frustration, allowing Jackie's sociopathic artificiality to take the stage. She exploits her wife's emotional availability to convince her that she is not the figure that Jules is beginning to understand her to be (as a result of her fractured encounter with Sarah and Daniel (Joey Klein)). Branches of Jackie's fragmented past continue to swell as the film progresses, bursting in an early and heinous revelation of her true character. Unlike the majority of thrillers that base the entire plot on building up to a particularly eerie climax, 'What Keeps You Alive' embraces its modernity and ramps up to an alarming pinnacle in the first third of its one hour, thirty-nine minute runtime.
 |
| Source: Hollywood Reporter / 'What Keeps You Alive' on Netflix UK |
A major criticism of this movie is Jules' questionable motives when returning to her vicious wife at points. Understandably, some viewers would deem it ridiculous that Jules still has mercy for Jackie despite her murderous ways - but you have to consider Jules' infatuation and commitment to her wife. Coupling the broody flashbacks and constant pleas for rectifying the situation together, it is evident that Jules possesses enough compassion for the both of them and makes the decisions that she does with this intention at heart. Jackie is tactically aware of this vulnerability and chooses to highlight her lack thereof, grimacing, 'You're more likely to kill yourself than hurt me'. In what appears to be the culmination of the film, Jackie uses her manipulative capability to turn the tables back on Jules, even when she is at her most powerful. This line arguably packs more of a punch than the imminent violence, as it proves the coldness of Jackie - if Jules was to kill her, it would be more emotionally torturous for her to grieve than it would be painful for her psychopathic wife to die. She is 'free in all the ways you're not'. Death as a concept does not carry the same grisly weight to Jackie as it does for her well-disposed counterpart, allowing this line alone to drive the psychological wedge even deeper between the two.
Therefore, character criticisms arise due to the inability to empathise with Jules. We, as the audience, are predominantly exposed to Jackie's sordid side and minimally shown her previous tactics of manipulation. We are in no position to question Jules' actions for the majority of the film as we only see the tip of Jackie's psychological games and fail to consider contextual or external occurrences that would contribute to Jules' thought processes. Brittany Allen's realism is staggering - the rawness of the copious mental laps she is forced to endure as she digests the reality of her relationship and the woman she fell in love with is made tangible by her performance.
Personally, as a sucker for shadowed imagery and brushed-upon metaphors, the complexities of 'What Keeps You Alive' elevates the film above the typical gratuitous butchery so often thrust at audiences in horror movies for me. From the more obvious elements such as Hannah Emily Anderson's dead-eye performance of Bloodlet by Munroe, to elusive mentions of Jackie's insulin and the foreshadowing imagery of the crow being the smartest bird in the forest, this film is leaps above the majority in terms of literary intricacy. For example, the cyclical structure is reminiscent of Ouspensky's theory and carries the idea that your life course will inevitably pose consequences, evident in Jackie's death and the imagery surrounding it. Every detail in this film is poignant, bearing significance that, if paid attention to, propels the film into a new realm - if creepy imagery and sinister foreshadowings are your forte.
Despite watching numerous thrillers and horror movies almost daily, 'What Keeps You Alive' remains in my top three with no question. This film is elevated on a multitude of levels, from its LGBT+ representation (in which the sexual orientation of the characters is not the pinnacle of the plot) to its conscious deviations from overplayed thriller stereotypes through constructing Jackie to be the antagonist. Even on my seventh or eighth watch, this movie continues to thrill and consume me in the way it did on my first, and this is an ability that films of this genre seldom have.
 |
| Source: imdb.com |
'What Keeps You Alive' deserves all of the praise it gets. Colin Minihan's mind is a blend of figurative complexities and ominous scenarios, just itching to be materialised. Leads Brittany Allen and Hannah Emily Anderson do impeccable justice to Jules and Jackie's characters, and deserve endless support and praise for doing so.
You can purchase this film on Youtube, watch on Netflix or stream on several platforms - and I highly recommend that you do. It's really worth a watch (or eight).
