Survival Skills (film)

Survival Skills is a 2020 American dark comedy film written and directed by Quinn Armstrong in his feature directorial debut. The film is a satire of instructional training videos and the concept of toxic masculinity, presented as a lost training video from the 1990s.

The film stars Stacy Keach as the narrator of the fictional training video, and Vayu O'Donnell as Jim, a newly minted police officer eager to apply the lessons of the "Survival Skills" program. Jim enthusiastically embraces the prescribed methods, but finds himself increasingly conflicted and disillusioned as he witnesses the limitations and inherent biases of the system, particularly in his interactions with a family experiencing domestic abuse.

Survival Skills employs a deliberately retro aesthetic, mimicking the look and feel of low-budget VHS training tapes from the 1990s, complete with cheesy graphics, earnest voice-over narration, and stilted acting within the simulated scenarios. This stylistic choice enhances the film’s satirical edge and underscores the outdated and problematic attitudes it critiques.

The plot follows Jim's growing unease as he begins to question the black-and-white worldview presented in the "Survival Skills" video. He becomes determined to help the family, defying the instructions he’s been given and ultimately challenging the very system he was trained to uphold.

The film received positive reviews, with critics praising its clever premise, sharp satire, and effective use of its vintage aesthetic to highlight contemporary issues of policing, domestic violence, and societal expectations of masculinity.