Save Yourselves! is one of those low budget films that tackle big budget issues, such as an alien invasion that has taken over the world. This all occurs while a couple decides to walk away from their phones and the internet for an “off the grid” weeklong vacation at a friend’s cabin in the woods.
Jack (John Reynolds) and Su (Sunita Mani) are a madly in love couple in the thirties who think they’re organic, low carbon footprint Manhattan life is right where they should be. Then, they meet an old friend Raph (Ben Sinclair), and he describes all the crazy adventures he’s been on and then gets an idea. He’s practically redoing his grandfather’s cabin in the woods and the two of them should go there for a week. Terrific idea. Unplug, decompress, and dive into each other … a couple’s dream. Or could it be a nightmare?
Let’s not say it’s a horrorshow, because it firmly isn’t. Save Yourselves! is a hilarious comedy full of sight gags, insightful prose that ripples with humor, and two actors game for pushing the envelope of an alien invasion movie that keeps it silly. If nothing else, those aliens… are nothing more than “pouffes,” you know the decorative puffy footstools that adorn people’s living rooms. They’re not cute. They’re insanely vicious and kill everyone in their path. Humanity’s time on earth is rather limited and it’s hilarious.
When Su and Jack arrive at the cabin. Phones go off and full-on nature and coupledom encapsulation commence. They canoe. They sit across from each other and explore the fears, dreams, and fantasies. Urge to turn on that phone? Sure, but they’re not gonna do it. That first night, they see what they think is a meteor shower and it just reminds them that getting out of the city was the best idea ever.
Only thing, those weren’t meteors.
In a moment of weakness, Su checks her phone and it’s lit up. New York City, she gathers from texts and garbled voicemails is under attack and subsequently decimated. Su is more worried about admitting she broke the rule and took out her cell phone than informing her boyfriend what she learned. Plus, how can that be real, anyway? Fast forward one day and those crows come home to roost. And by crows, I mean what the couple calls Pouffes.
It is at this point where writer-directors Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson work their most fervent magic. This is an even smaller version of what M. Night Shyamalan gave us with Signs. The alien invasion has occurred “over there” and we the audience keenly know that it won’t be long until they are “over here.” Both actors raise their game at this point as madness, denial, fear, and pure survival skills flow to the top of their characterizations. What is never missing, though, is what is so important about Save Yourselves!, is the love connection between these two. It is utterly adorable and impossible to separate from the overall narrative of Fischer and Wilson’s work. This is one well thought out story, from the little details that make or break an independent film to the larger scope that can be teased, but due to costs, never shown.
Save Yourselves! is a masterclass in do-it-yourself filmmaking. Sure, there was an entire production team behind what Fischer and Wilson achieved. But, for those filmmakers out there who have a story and a dream, this is the kind of film you could make. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, filmmaking doesn’t have to be fancy to be effective. All you need is a storyline that is rich, filled with characters that are expansive, three-dimensional, and are firmly emotively tethered to the viewer. Check. Check. Check. Check.
Once those Pouffes reach our adorable couple’s woodsy abode, they have plans in place, they’ve learned some things about our unwelcomed guests and more importantly, these two have never been more connected on a myriad of levels. Su and Adam, you’re going to be just fine.
Or will they?
Grade: B+