The marketing for Cocaine Bear -- this year's meme-material extravaganza -- has emphasized that it's based on a true story. This is, of course, only sort of true. While a wild black bear did indeed come across an awry cocaine drop in Georgia in 1985, the drugs ended up killing the poor creature. The man transporting the cocaine via plane was later found dead in a driveway due to a failed parachuting attempt -- also replicated in Cocaine Bear. Audiences can, therefore, take morbid pleasure in watching a high bear tear through clueless people on the big screen -- it happened and it didn't. But don't let your guard down just yet. Before you plan your next camping trip, you might want to check out the underseen survival horror film Backcountry. The 2014 IFC Midnight production is about a bear attack, too -- but this time, it's a little more real.
'Backcountry' Begins With a Cocky Hiker
Opening on the foreboding sound of buzzing insects (we know there's something dead nearby), Backcountry immediately sets up a disconnect between its main characters and the forces of nature. Alex (Jeff Roop) and Jenn (Missy Peregrym) are heading out of the city to escape. It's a familiar scene to many an REI customer -- a separation from nature leads to a desire to find it again. Subtle clues that they're still city slickers at heart, however, are there. Alex's goofy singing, to Canadian musician Corb Lund's "Always Keep an Edge on Your Knife," smash-cuts to an ominous soundtrack. There's a jovial connection between the two, but also a fragile center -- Alex clearly feels like he needs to impress his partner, even if it means he doesn't tell her everything about the trip.
This is made clear when a park ranger (Nicholas Campbell), playing the part of the grizzled old expert, advises Alex to take a map and that the trail he intends to hike is closed. But not even this, a clever subversion of the "townie warning" trope, will stop a man determined to impress his girlfriend. Without telling Jenn about the closure, a mapless Alex sets out to do some exploring. (We'll later learn that he also takes it upon himself to lock their cell phones in the car in order to properly disconnect from the noise.) And if you've seen even one survival movie -- or The Blair Witch Project -- you know this never ends well. From this point on, as in real life, every small decision will have an impact on their survival. The last thing they need is a hungry bear.
Man Vs. Nature
Perhaps it's in the human spirit to want to conquer nature. We've been removed from the dangers of baser creatures for so long that -- like many a surprised National Park visitor -- we forget wild animals are still wild. Not every mushroom is edible, and not every environment can be survived. (The human body, for instance, can suffer from hypothermia even at temperatures around 40 degrees.) This is a lesson often learned the hard way, however, and it's no different for Alex and Jen. As he drags their boat out of the river, Alex hurts his foot, cognitive dissonance already taking hold. ("I'll just walk it off," he says, but he can barely put weight on it.) As hints of his naivety creep in, Alex only becomes more defensive. He makes fun of Jenn for bringing survival gear, belittling her choice of a road flare versus a pen flare -- though he didn't bring anything himself. From this point on, the audience knows what Jenn does not; this area isn't safe. We watch them skinny-dip from a shadowy point of view, unsure if it's animal or human. When a mysteriously rude nature guide (Eric Balfour) happens upon their campsite, we see more of Alex's true colors: he's jealous and insecure, certain Jenn will think he's a screw-up. Determined to make the trip work (he plans on proposing), he ignores the increasingly clear warning signs of a bear attack -- a track in the mud. Snuffling sounds outside their tent. The bear's shadow through its thin walls. It can only end one way -- tragically.
The Bear Attack Is Slow, Painful, and Realistic
When the circling bear finally attacks the couple, it's with a realism that deeply terrifies. Instead of happening all at once, horror-movie style, the attack is instead slow and methodical, simply the way a starving animal would eat. Jenn and Alex take too long to react, frozen by fear. Perhaps it's this mistake that spells their fate, as the bear walks toward them, Alex knows he is about to die. In one of the most horrifying animal attack sequences put to film, Alex is slowly disemboweled and torn apart by the creature, crying out while he slowly dies. The prosthetic effects are incredibly realistic, Alex's eyelid-less-eye staring blankly outward. Perhaps the most impressive aspect is that the bear is indeed real. You feel every tear and break, and Jen's horrified reaction fills in what we (mercifully) don't see. She survives but with a good amount of the film left, we know her journey to salvation won't be an easy one. Backcountry has fulfilled its goals, and then some, to remind us of nature's raw power.
The True Story That Inspired 'Backcountry'
As promised in its early sequences, Backcountry is based on terrible true events. In September of 2005, a married couple (both 30 years old) camping in Ontario's Missinaibi Lake Provincial Park was attacked by a starving black bear that "may have learned to prey on humans." Though the husband, Mark Jordan, managed to fight back -- stabbing the bear with a Swiss Army knife as it attacked his wife, then carrying her to a kayak for help -- she did not make it. He later received the Star of Courage from the Canadian government. In a 2007 interview, Jordan told The Toronto Star that he wished he'd known more about black bears before the attack occurred, making clear the importance of doing your research before heading into the wilderness. The good news? Bear attacks on humans are fairly rare when taking the proper precautions. So the next time you're planning on connecting with nature, make sure you read up on the area you're visiting. If Backcountry can't convince you, nothing will.
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