Survival Skills

Film Review: Just what does it take to be a good police officer? In pursuit of an answer, we follow Jim (Vayu O'Donnell) through his first year on the force. As a newly qualified recruit, Jim is optimistic and idealistic but increasingly becomes disillusioned with the system when he tries to resolve a domestic abuse case. Questions are raised over morality and legality - issues develop for Jim when these don’t line up. The protagonist’s wide-eyed innocence and his desire to help are slowly eroded as the film progresses and he is confronted by the limitations of self-determination and his simple willingness to do good. Can one good police officer make a positive impact in such a rigid and seemingly flawed system? Quinn Armstrong’s feature debut Survival Skills is shot partly in the style of a 1980s police training video. The video’s cheerful worldview becomes increasingly dystopian as Jim’s problems mount up, and the initially-avuncular narrator (Stacy Keach) loses his hold when the central character starts asking questions. There are no easy solutions to the issues Jim raises - this unsettling, eccentric, thought-provoking film leaves the viewer to ponder their own answers. Nick Comley