This is a film exploring something that has never actually happened; something that [in our lifetime] is not likely to happen; but something that [in our lifetime] certainly could happen.
That’s why the film is set in “the near future”.
Imagine losing power. At first you’re figuring the usual causes. In a few hours [or at most a few days in the case of a big storm] everything will be back up and running. Only that isn’t what happens at all. Not for these folks. And then it begins to dawn on them that there is little or no hope of it being turned back on anytime soon.
What caused it? How extensive is it? Across the state? Across the nation? Across the globe? That part isn’t really explored at all. The focus is more on two sisters actually enduring the calamity itself.
At least these folks live farther away from the Big City and The Suburbs. Still, their lives are no less intertwined in all of the things that revolve entirely around having the power necessary to make them…work. On the other hand, they live far, far, far from town. More or less isolated from everyone. And that can mean one of two things: less folks to harm them, less folks to help them.
A whole new social, political and economic dynamic. A whole new way to think about survival. A whole new “I”. Especially at the juncture where being inconvenienced starts to topple over into survival itself.
As for the ending, it doesn’t make much sense to me. Especially with the baby. Not that there appeared to be many other alternatives.
Here is list of major power outages that have already occurred: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_m … er_outages
Some predict that a catastrophic CME will be the cause of The Big One: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronal_mass_ejection
IMDb
[b]Ellen Page was inspired to make the film after coming across the book written by Jean Hegland while browsing through a small store in her native Halifax. It was suggested to her by the woman working there and after she read it, she decided to produce a movie-version of the story.
Evan Rachel Wood broke the capillaries around her eyes while filming an intensely emotional scene.
The pig butchering scene was real. Ellen Page learned the process specifically to include in this film. She’s quoted explaining how it was difficult and upsetting. [/b]
at wiki: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Into_the_Forest
trailer: youtu.be/_TRSvK-Omwc
INTO THE FOREST [2015]
Written and directed by Patricia Rozema
[b]Reporter [on TV]: We interrupt tonight’s programming to report a massive power outage up and down the west coast.
…
Nell: What about the solar? When does that inverter come in?
Robert [dad]: Four weeks ago. I’ll ask again next time I’m in town.
Nell: My SATs are on Thursday! I need to study.
Robert: Ah, there is an ancient technology, you may have heard of it. It’s called “books”.
…
Reporters [on the radio]: We think it happened at the power plant where there was a problem. The emergency systems took over and essentially shut the plant down. That then triggered shut-downs across the power grid, and we are hearing that that grid didn’t have the capacity to deal with that problem, so it shut itself down and that was sort of the link being broken. We still are waiting to hear from officials to find out what was the exact cause… There are many rumors, some suggest a terrorist targeting our power supply… It seems at least 300 million people are now without power…No subways, elevators, airports…
…
Title card: Ten days without power
…
Stan [store owner with a rifle in his hand]: Whoa. Not so fast. Sorry I gotta ask you this… You got money, yeah?
Robert: Yes sir, I do, sir.
Stan: And your big box membership card is all paid up to date?
Robert: Of course. I mean, who could refuse the opportunity to pay for the right to shop.
Stan: Yeah. Well, we can’t be too careful. A crisis like this doesn’t always bring out the best side of people.
Robert: It reveals character, you’re right there.
Stan: Yes, it reveals character. I tell you, you know? It’s people wanting something for nothing is what got us into this mess in the first place.
Robert: I’m with you there, Stan.
…
Robert [after an accident with the power saw]: Girls, girls, girls. I’m leaking, I’m leaking. Take care of each other.
Nell: Shut up, dad!
Eva: Dad, you’re gonna be okay. You’re gonna be fine. You’re gonna be fine. You’re gonna be fine.
Robert: Love each other…
Nell: You’re gonna be fine![/b]
Dad dies.
[b]Title card: Two months without power
…
Eva: I want to fill the generator. Right now, before it gets too dark and we spill some.
Nell: We can’t. We have to save it for the Jeep.
Eva: There’s, like, five gallons in here. We only need two to get to town.
Nell: Yeah, and two to get back.
Eva: Okay, so four. That leaves one for right now.
Nell: I’m sorry. We… We have to save it for an emergency.
Eva: I need it.
Nell: You don’t need it. Come on, this is our life insurance.
Eva: Our life insurance.
Nell: Yeah.
Eva: Ours. Half mine.
…
Eva [to Nell]: Get dad’s gun.
…
Nell: What’s happening in town?
Eli: People are getting sick. There’s no water filtration. I thought you’d died when you stopped coming to town.
Nell: No. We ran out of gas.
Eli: Everyone’s run out of gas. There’s no gas, there’s no electricity, there’s no transportation, there’s no phones, there’s no Internet. It’s the wild fucking west out there.
…
Eva: We’re almost out of toothpaste.
Nell: I know.
Eva: So how long is he gonna stay?
Nell: I don’t know.
Eva: 'Cause he’s eating our food and we hardly have any left.
…
Eli: Things are starting up again back east, Nellie. They’ve got electricity there and people have jobs. The phones are working. Food in the stores. No looting.
Nell: What?
Eli: I want you to go with me, Nelly.
Nell: Why didn’t you tell us this sooner?
Eli: Well, I wanted to see who you were first.
Nell: What do you mean “who you were”?
Eli: If you were the one.
…
Eva: You’re going to walk to Boston? How long is that gonna take?
Eli: Eight, eight and a half months.
Eva: So into the winter? What if you don’t make it that far?
Eli: Then we’ll hole up somewhere.
Eva: Where? Who’s going to take in an extra half-dozen starving people for the winter?
Eli: We’ll make ends meet, Joe’s got a rifle. If you guys come, there’s another gun, too. We’ll work the land. We’ll hunt. We’ll make it work.
Eva: You know how to hunt?
Eli: Sure, why not? I’m a fast learner.
Eva: Boston has something we don’t?
Eli: Yeah, power. Food. Jobs.
Eva: It’s just another rumor!
…
Title card: Six months without power
…
Nell [coming upon Eva who was just raped by Stan]: Eva! Eva! Eva! Eva! What happened?! What happened?!
[she picks up the axe as Stan drives away in the jeep]
Nell: I will fucking kill you! I will fucking kill you!
…
Title card: eight months withour power
…
Nell: Eva, what? What?
Eva [distraught, trembling]: I just get so scared. I can’t stop it. It just feels like these black waves, and I… I swim up to the surface, and I…I think I’ll do okay and I can…I can fight this. And then another black wave comes and I’m just drowning…
…
Eva: There’s a baby coming.
Nell: Yeah, I was afraid of that. It’s okay. It’s okay, we’ll figure it out. Right?
Eva: Figure what out?
Nell: Surely you’re not against stopping an unwanted pregnancy.
Eva: No, I don’t think any baby should be unwanted.
Nell: Well, there might be a safe way to…
Eva: I want it. I don’t think I can lose anything else, Nell.
Nell: Eva, you were raped.
Eva: That has nothing to do with it.
Nell: Yeah, it’s his kid.
Eva: I don’t think the kid is responsible for the parents’ actions. Anyway, how could this baby even be mine?
Nell: What does that mean?
Eva: It’s its own person.
…
Title card: fifteen months without power
…
Eva: B12. B12 is found in animal and dairy products.
…
Eva: We can’t stay here.
Nell: What?
Eva: The house is filled with black mold. It’s not safe for the baby.
…
Eva: I want to burn the house down.
Nell: What the fuck?!
Eva: Sooner or later someone is gonna come looking for us, right? If we leave the house here, someone can move in, but if we burn it down, it’ll look like we died in the fire. Look at this place! It’s toxic, it’s rotting. We’re never gonna fix that roof…Alright, how long have human beings been around?
Nell: What?
Eva: Seriously… How long have human beings been around on earth?
Nell: 100… 200,000 years. Right?
Eva: How long have we had electricity?
Nell: …140?
Eva: Right. You see what I’m saying? All this.
Nell: This is all we have.
Eva: We have each other. We have plenty of food. We know how to get more. It’s just not safe here anymore. We will be okay, Nellie. It’s the right thing to do.
…
Eva [handing her the torch]: You wanna be the one to do it?
Nell: Yeah.[/b]