How to Save Us

source: How to Save Us

Moviecut—How to Save Us

Tasmania has been evacuated because of a possible viral outbreak. Sam (Coy Jandreau) is still on the island. His brother Bryan (Jason Trost) at the insistence of their sister Molly (Tallay Wickham) goes there to find him. The island has been taken over by ghosts and there are specific rules for survival which have been written down in a notebook called "How to Save Us." The ghost attack by smell. The ashes of dead people can mask the smell. The ghost are attracted by electricity. Graveyards appear to be safe havens. Don't go out at night. Lock all the doors. Beware of the wind. They can be seen with infrared. If you freeze frame the book as they page through it, you can get all the rules. There are broadcasts on the radio (106.9 FM) that are the ghosts talking as well as old broadcasts. And there is something strange...some of the broadcasts are personal for Bryan. The film moves slow. We see Sam covered with ashes walking along the island covered in ashes being tracked by his brother covered in ashes. They are sometimes irritated by ghosts. This is a low budget Australian production which was basically a two man play. Things pick up at the end where most of the budget was spent. Guide: F-bomb. No sex or nudity.

This movie has its a special theme that no character talks each other face to face till the end, all conversation going in either background or recorded on radio. Story about a man who finds his brother at quarantine island of Marina, where unknown ghost are wandering. You only can save yourself from them by drawing a line of ashes. Will he back with his brother ? Find answer after watching this movie. Quarantine feels current lock down situation due to Covid- 19 pandemic.

I really enjoyed this movie. Good concept, good cinematography. Didn't end the way I would have expected.

How to save us does start off a little slow, but it does build up atmosphere nicely. It is a slow burner of a movie, with some very unsettling moments and nice visuals. You can tell that it is working on a low budget but the special effects, as few as they are do work. The camera work and acting a solid and the movie does build up to a solid ending. The only thing, and I have to admit it is a small thing, is that I could see what the movie was working towards with themes of domestic violence and child abuse. This is a film for people who prefer atmosphere over blood and guts and good storytelling over flashy special effects. One more thing, I loved the old time music that was playing through out the film. I suspect it was cheaper as much of the music would no doubt be in the public domain, but it worked and actually added to the overall atmosphere of the film. For a low budget indie, not bad.

This is one of those movies where some added bucks would have made a big difference. The concept is sound. A guy goes to Tasmania (of all places!) to find his brother. The only problem being that Tasmania has become overrun with ghosts. Crazy, I know! The problem with How to Save Us is that it needed more. Thanks to the story, we know why nobody else is around, but still, it would have been nice if there were a few more cast members. For an hour and twenty minutes, we watch as this guy searches for his brother. The focus jumps between the two, but that's basically it for characters. Also, although I found the locations and sets functional, they never really stood out as anything special. Despite all this though, How to Save Us breaks out of its limitations and still delivers a creepy, unsettling story.

I must admit, I don't know whether to hate anyone who had something to do with the film more than I hate myself for suffering through to the end when I could have hit fast forward. The movie follows a customary bad, boring move pattern: tidbit to keep you interested, 15 minutes of utter boredom. A couple of brothers (one of whom lost an eye, even though it does not play into the plot) wandering through a Tasmania that is quarantined in a way that does not stop people from entering or leaving, and playing a game of tag. We learn clever "rules" about the electric, infrared, ghosts like "they can't see you if you burn corpses and spread the ashes on your face or clothes," and "since they are electric they cannot be created or destroyed." Then we build up to the climactic finish where everything is explained...what, what? It isn't explained? But I thought it had something to do with child abuse...or viruses...or pathways from another dimension...or...forget it. And the movie.

This is by no means a bad Bmovie. It's very good for what it is, a low budget mystery. What's with the hating on this film? If you need a reference, it's more Lost than a Walking dead action flick and it relies mostly on little dialogue, scenic shots and suspense which is good because the casts acting talents are a little cringe worthy. I was oddly drawn in by the story line and the original concept. If you are looking for a high paced scream fest, than this is not for you. If a enticing original story is this is absolutely a very original concept and I can see someone picking this up in the future with a blockbuster high budget, Fassbender featured, remake. Mark my words, I could be very right.

This was surprisingly interesting and entertaining. The landscapes are beautiful and the CGI is effective: the scenes with the ghost are pretty creepy and work really well. I really felt the tension in some of these scenes, and I also thought that some shots were very clever. I also loved the way the story is told, the way it went back and forth between the two brothers by showing them visiting the same places, and Sam leaving his notebooks behind with instructions and notes. The (few) actors in it are also good, not only for a low budget, indie movie but in general. I thought the idea was very original and different and, even if the ending is a bit anti- climatic, I loved the fact that I didn't know what to expect most of the time. i liked it and would definitely recommend it!

Wow, such a high rating, seriously? Well, it had me fooled. I thought this might have been some decent independent horror film, based on the summary and the rating, but boy, was I wrong... There is nothing going on, just some admittedly beautiful landscapes and desolated areas are shown, which the protagonists visit or pass by, so much for the value of this little flick. Well, the acting is OK, too. Unfortunately, I just didn't care about the characters. What about the horror/action/suspense? Similar to salt in some other ghost films, they use the ashes of the dead to ward off the entities. Then there is a little infrared camera 'action' to show the threats, which look alright but not more and are definitely not horrifying. Anyway, for an island allegedly full of roaming ghosts, that happens quite rarely. And even rarer are the actual 'attacks'. The only real scary parts in the entire film are the radio scenes, displaying a horribly annoying taste in music, even the occasional ghostly radio interceptions are way more melodic. Halfway through I took a break for a nap as serious fatigue overwhelmed me. Horror? No. Science fiction? Not really. Boredom? Bingo!