What Keeps You Alive

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2:15

What Keeps You Alive

R

2018

1h 39m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

LGBTQ+

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

82%

Tomatometer

55 Reviews

45%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

Jackie and Jules are a couple celebrating their first anniversary at a secluded cabin in the woods belonging to Jackie's family. From the moment they arrive, something changes in Jules' normally loving wife, as Jackie begins to reveal a previously unknown dark side -- all building up to a shocking revelation that will pit Jules against the woman she loves in a terrifying fight to survive.

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Critics Consensus

Smart, stylish, and well-acted, What Keeps You Alive proves it's still possible to spin an engrossing horror yarn without fundamentally altering established formula.

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Jamie Righetti

IndieWire

10/31/2018

B+

Despite a few predictable beats, "What Keeps You Alive" offers plenty of effective jolts, helped along by the chemistry between leads Anderson and Allen.

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Brad Wheeler

Globe and Mail

10/31/2018

3/4

That being said, the victory of What Keeps You Alive is not its heart-thumping (and a little too long) second act, but the question of survival versus vengeance the film raises.

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Dennis Harvey

Variety

10/31/2018

Nonetheless, it's an entertaining and well-crafted effort from a resourceful indie team who've scored enough respectable base hits to date that one might reasonably expect them to deliver a home-run any time now.

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Ciara Pitts

Vague Visages

12/15/2023

Minihan’s tale is a moody, memorable work of art that dares its audience to meditate on the layers and anxieties of love and deceit.

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Matt Glasby

Radio Times

03/23/2023

3/5

There is a violent about-turn that will surprise even hardened genre fans, but this is otherwise a not especially original play on the usual hunter/hunted model.

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Michael Cuby

them.

09/30/2022

An unnerving, bloody thriller, What Keeps You Alive is the perfect offering for queer horror fans looking for some scares that also speak to their own sexual identities.

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Keepa

@Icommentonbadmovies 2d

Watching this movie feels like being intellectually insulted, like what were they thinking? where are the logics, where are common sense, cant believe I spend 1hr30 min to feel like i can do a better job at directing a movie for the first time of my life, buns movie!!!!

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Devin a

@Adevster8 Jan 9

it started off decent and got so bad so quickly literally so bad..

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John L

@view2views Dec 17

Excellent story telling that builds...and builds.....I recommend this film to you.

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Kamila R

Nov 13

Good film, I liked how they explored every emotion so deep and throughly, we got to know, even in the relatively short time of the film, how both of the protagonists feel and who they truly are, some may find the beginning too slow but I think it was the thing that constructed the whole tension and kept us thrilled in the movie when the pace changed suddenly… the final was nothing I was expecting but in a good way. In conclusion, I wish more films like this were created.

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Malevolent O.

@Pugmummy Oct 3

I loved this film, despite some of the absurd impracticalities. Starts a little slow, but then takes off. There are some predictable moments, and impossible situations, but the acting was great. The music was good. Loved that it was female oriented, and showed strong women. I enjoyed it thoroughly. There are some plot holes, but they don’t completely undermine the film's core sense of fear. Allen delivers a compelling and relatable performance as Jules. Her confusion in this dire situation evokes sympathy, and her resolve to fight back against her killer inspires us to root for her next move. The film ultimately supports its survivor, even as it subjects her to intense challenges first.

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Gabriel T

@GabrielFagundes Sep 13

Apart from some logical problems in the plot, "What Keeps You Alive" is a really solid movie and you should try it out to see for yourself. It could be psychological and gory at the same time and the couple's charisma was the cherry on top of the cake

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Colin Minihan

Director

Hannah Emily Anderson

Jackie

Brittany Allen

Jules

Martha MacIsaac

Sarah

Joey Klein

Daniel

Charlotte Lindsay Marron

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What Keeps You Alive: Trailer 1

2:15

What Keeps You Alive: Red Band Trailer 1

2:17

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Synopsis

Jackie and Jules are a couple celebrating their first anniversary at a secluded cabin in the woods belonging to Jackie's family. From the moment they arrive, something changes in Jules' normally loving wife, as Jackie begins to reveal a previously unknown dark side -- all building up to a shocking revelation that will pit Jules against the woman she loves in a terrifying fight to survive.

Director: Colin Minihan
Producer: Chris J. Ball, Kurtis David Harder, Ben Knechtel, Colin Minihan
Screenwriter: Colin Minihan
Distributor: IFC Midnight
Production Co: IFC Films, Digital Interference Productions
Rating: R (Brief Nudity|Bloody Images|Language|Violence)
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 24, 2018, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 24, 2018
Runtime: 1h 39m

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