Shorts

GENRE- Psychological Survival Drama

Logline
After waking alone in a remote forest with no memory of how he got there, a drug-addicted father must rely on survival skills from his childhood to stay alive—only to uncover a devastating truth about who put him there.

Synopsis

SURVIVE follows John, a drug-addicted husband and father who wakes alone in a remote forest with no memory of how he got there. With limited water, no signal, and his body in withdrawal, John is forced to rely on survival skills taught to him as a child by his stern, uncompromising father. As days stretch into weeks, John battles hunger, cold, hallucinations, and his own guilt—questioning whether this ordeal is punishment, chance, or something more deliberate. When rescue finally comes, John learns the truth.

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At its core, SURVIVE is a contained, performance-driven piece designed for efficient production: one primary location, minimal dialogue, and a single lead actor carrying the emotional weight of the story. The film blends grounded survival realism with psychological tension, gradually revealing its moral twist without supernatural elements. Tonally, it sits in the space between Into the Wild and Take Shelter, using isolation as a crucible for transformation.

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The script is complete and runs approximately 15-20 minutes on screen. I believe SURVIVE would resonate strongly with festival audiences drawn to intimate, character-focused storytelling and morally complex endings.

Tone & Style

Grounded, atmospheric, and intimate.
SURVIVE blends realistic wilderness survival with psychological tension, unfolding largely through visual storytelling and performance rather than dialogue. The forest is both setting and antagonist—quiet, indifferent, and unforgiving.

Comparable Tone: Into the Wild, Take Shelter, The Road (intimate scale)

Themes

• Addiction and accountability

• Fatherhood and inherited toughness

• Survival as rebirth

• Love expressed through cruelty

• Second chances—and their cost

Production Snapshot

• Contained short film

• Single primary location

• Minimal cast

• Performance-driven

• Low-to-mid budget friendly

Designed for efficient production and strong festival play.

Target Audience

Festival audiences drawn to:

• Character-driven drama

• Survival narratives

• Morally complex endings

• Intimate, adult storytelling

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