Game – The BRWC Review
The debut release from INVADA films, Game is a survival thriller set against the rave scene of the early ’90s. David (Marc Bessant) is an aging drug user who finds himself trapped in the wilderness after a night of wild raving. Suspended upside down in a wrecked car, David must fight for survival against the elements and a raging drug habit. All seems lost until he comes in contact with a poacher (Jason Williams), but just when David thinks he’s found hope, things take a much darker turn.
“Survival Thriller” can often conjure comparisons to short stories like “The Most Dangerous Game” or films like The Grey or The Shallows. While Game pits David against the elements, the survival becomes more about circumstance than braving the wilderness. Flashbacks interweave with David’s plight to showcase the man he was before the accident. The majority of Game is not a constant fight against nature or even a battle against the poacher, but an internal struggle of David’s humanity. Flashing between the blasting beats of the rave scene and the primal struggles of the post-crash, Game builds a character with minimal dialogue and maximum contrasts.
Contrast is key throughout Game. Many of the rave, drug-fueled moments of David’s night before feel akin to the 90s films echoed in the film’s setting. Influences from films like Go and Run Lola Run are as apparent as influences from 127 Hours. Amid the plethora of contrasting influences, Game creates a cohesive narrative that chronicles David’s desperation to live. Using minimal dialogue, the writing team behind Game steers heavily into the “show, don’t tell” mantra of storytelling, and David’s journey is more powerful for it. With a small cast, Bessant and Williams shoulder the weight of the narrative and deliver with nuances befitting the character piece.
David, as a character, is unlikable. Within Game‘s world of 90s club ethos, David comes across someone trying to burn out and fade away in the same breath. Someone who uses others to feed his own demons. The poacher is just as vilified. Yet, unlikable does not mean uninteresting. And Bessant and Williams bring plenty of intrigue to their respective roles. Each brings layers to a performance built on actions, not words. The two performers embody the character with all its flaws and engagement needed to allow Game to dive deep into experimentation, especially in the latter third of the film.
Game, in its essence, is a slow-burn. However, that slow-burn quality allows the performances and character choices to take center stage, all while building to an experimental, avant-garde finale. It’s equal parts strange, psychological, and experimental. Danny Boyle’s influences are vivid, along with some nods to Arrovosky. But the most prominent impact on the film’s experimentation is producer and co-writer Geoff Barrow. Known for his work on films such as Ex Machina and Annihilation, and for co-founding Portishead, Barrow brings a cinema-meets-club energy to the narrative, giving Game a unique space in the Survival genre.
Contrast, commitment, and chaos keep Game engaging even in the slowest moments. Contrasts of influences make Game a tapestry of 90s club fandom and animalistic survival. Bessant’s commitment to hanging upside down for most of the film is impressive, to say the least. But most of all, the chaotic conclusion displays that director John Minton is not just enjoying the indie of Gen X but studying those films as the art they are. Game is an intriguing take on the survival thriller genre and a strong debut for INVADA films.
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