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What keeps you alive11/25/2023 Most of the movie looks as if it was filmed on an overcast day. “What Keeps You Alive” marries various different aesthetics in an unholy matrimony. ![]() ![]() Jackie may have hunting experience and the cold-blooded soul of a killer, but Jules has determination and wits on her side. Eventually, the truth comes out: she’s a psychopathic black widow, a woman who traps her partners to kill them for sport later, like a matrimonial themed version of “The Most Dangerous Game.” The face-off between the two combatants almost plays out like a dance, as both women are fairly matched adversaries. There are tense moments hinting at something wrong with Jackie, but nothing as bad as her unforgivable act of violence and the psychological torture that ensues. Jules survives but must now save herself from the woman she loves.Īs a thriller, “What Keeps You Alive” is effectively eerie and unnerving. Jules grows frustrated and hurt by her partner’s lack of communication, and when confronted, Jackie lashes out, ultimately pushing her wife off of the edge of a cliff to try to kill her. But something is off with Jackie, and she begins to do things without Jules or not bother to check in with her. So she killed to survive in the way that she deemed appropriate for her desired lifestyle.To celebrate their one-year anniversary, Jules ( Brittany Allen) and Jackie (Hannah Emily Anderson) take a retreat to Jackie’s family’s old lakeside home. But Jackie decided that her life was more important than her victims, and she would profit and thrive in their absence. But she twisted it from her father's original intention. That idea was fresh in Jackie's mind - only kill what keeps you alive. While it was never explicitly confirmed, it's safe to assume that there wasn't much time in between when Jackie and Jenny learned to hunt and when the murder took place. To Jackie, the next best thing after killing an animal would be killing a human. While her father taught her to kill for survival instead of sport, she clearly finds enjoyment in the act of murder. Learning to hunt opened her eyes to that high. That feeling she gets after a kill seems to be the only feeling left that Jackie can experience. After Jackie killed Sarah, the camera lingers on her face. Hunting provides Jackie with a thrill unlike anything else. By teaching her how to hunt, Jackie's father set her on a highly dangerous road. She always changes the subject when he comes up.Īs Jackie is admittedly a sociopath, she likely exhibited symptoms as a child. Not to mention that, as Jules notes, Jackie refuses to talk about her dad. But as Jackie's childhood friend Sarah notes, she hasn't been to the lake house in years. But there is clearly some emotion tied to the memory of her dad. The Canadian horror movie takes place at Jackie's old family lake house. Her dad's influence stayed with Jackie for the rest of her life. After she revealed her true intentions to Jules, Jackie said that she isn't weighed down by emotions like most people are. The audience isn't privy to whatever career Jackie might have held, but it's the money that she collected from their deaths that likely sustained her. Jackie claimed that she killed each of her wives for the insurance money payouts. The mantra her dad taught her is what motivated her in each of those murders. Those hunting skills are what she used to injure Jules, and likely her wives before her. That, combined with her learned hunting skills set Jackie on a dangerous path. ![]() While he was teaching the girls to hunt, Jackie's dad passed on a mantra to them - only kill what keeps you alive.
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