Backcountry

***Lost-in-the-woods-and-menaced-by-nature Indie*** A young couple from the big city (Jeff Roop & Missy Peregrym) goes hiking & camping at a Provincial Park in the wilderness and find themselves lost and harassed by primal perils, human and animal. Eric Balfour is on hand as a dubious Irish outdoors guide. Written/directed by Adam MacDonald, “Backcountry” (2014) was inspired by the true story of Mark Jordan & Jacqueline Perry and their encounter with a man-eating bear in the wilds of Missinaibi Lake Provincial Park, North of Chapleau, Ontario, in 2005. Peregrym is reminiscent of Hilary Swank while Roop brings to mind a younger, less goofy Ray Romano. The movie’s basically a low-rent meshing of survival-in-the-woods flicks like “Deliverance” (1972) and “The Edge” (1997). If you’re in the mood for this kind of flick, “Backcountry” is pretty well done for an Indie. Sometimes the acting by the protagonists is questionable, but it’s all-around serviceable and occasionally very good. The attack sequence & gore are excellent for such a low budget film. Some viewers have question the inclusion of the suspicious woodsman in the first act, but it corresponds to story structure "rules" in any type of suspense yarn, which is: When things slow down, bring in some kind of conflict, particularly in the first act. In other words, to encourage a viewer to keep watching give him/her something near the beginning: conflict, trouble, fear, violence. I was honestly bored with the movie up until Brad (the guide) was introduced, which ultimately leads to confrontation. This relatively gripping sequence perked up my attention and encouraged me to keep watching. It's WHY the writer/director included it, along with it being a challenge to Alex’ competency, plus a red herring. The film runs 1 hour, 32 minutes and was shot at Restoule Provincial Park and nearby Powassan, Ontario (just south of North Bay), as well as Caddy Lake, Manitoba; I’m assuming the city sequence was shot in Toronto. GRADE: B/B-