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Survival films, while often similar in terms of plot, each have their own distinctive viewing pleasure in my opinion. Apex, a film of this genre, arrived on Netflix on April 24 with a notable cast and production.
The director’s chair of Apex belongs to Baltasar Kormákur, while Jeremy Robbins serves as screenwriter. The lead roles are filled by Charlize Theron and Taron Egerton. And one cannot omit the name of Eric Bana, who appears in the film’s opening sequence but whom we never see again afterward. Considering that Bana also led the recently released Untamed series on Netflix, it seems fair to think we will be seeing him frequently in such digital productions from here on.
A Simple Chase
In the film’s opening section, we see two climbers named Tommy (Eric Bana) and Sasha (Charlize Theron) scaling a very steep mountain in Norway. This couple is unaware of the disaster that awaits them. Although Sasha has reached the summit, Tommy’s desire to proceed cautiously is the film’s first breaking point. For despite all his precautions, Tommy falls to his death from the rocks almost immediately at the film’s start. In my opinion, this scene does not simply depict a loss; it also lays the foundation for the guilt that will be felt throughout the remainder of the film. Sasha’s failure to save her husband — indeed, her role in causing his death — becomes the invisible but ever-present weight of the narrative.
Apex begins after a sequence that instantly amplifies this dark and cold sense of tension. Following this traumatic event, the film continues with Sasha’s journey into the isolated Australian wilderness. Here the narrative slows and the character’s solitude comes to the fore. The camera diminishes Sasha against wide natural landscapes. In the main section of the film, the tension becomes explicit as Sasha realizes she is being watched. The film at this point transitions into the classic “hunter and hunted” or “chase” structure. The character whose name we later learn is Ben (Taron Egerton) is at first almost invisible. Director Baltasar Kormákur, in my view, aims to build a sense of threat rather than making it immediately visible.
The film’s middle section is built directly on pursuit and survival sequences. As Sasha contends with both nature and the figure hunting her, she is pulled toward an increasingly primal level of existence. In these scenes, dialogue is reduced to a minimum while body language and physical action come to the fore. The character’s wounding, falling, and getting back up determines the rhythm of the narrative. Although this chase section of the film is a high-tempo portion, it is also, in my opinion, a “simple” one. In addition to being built on just two characters, it simultaneously helps us get to know the characters more closely, observe their transformations, and focus on their relationship with each other.
While Sasha is initially positioned as a figure who flees, hides, and tries to survive, she transforms into an active agent over the course of events. This transformation is not merely the acquisition of physical resistance. It also reflects a change in the character’s relationship with violence. Sasha evolves from being prey into a figure who approaches the predator in order to survive. At this point the film accentuates the contrast between the characters. While Sasha’s guilt and trauma emerge as a humanizing element, the figure she faces is drawn as an almost entirely instinctual, empathy-deficient entity. And when we consider that Ben occasionally makes animal sounds, the word “instinctual” I used in the previous sentence slots perfectly into place. Furthermore, throughout all of this, the director does not reduce this contrast to an absolute “good vs. evil” binary.
When we reach the finale, I must say that we are watching a “clichéd” ending. Sasha’s finding a way to complete the climb she couldn’t finish with her husband — this time with Ben, with whom she has struck a “life-or-death deal” — is a clichéd ending from any angle you look at it. Yet at the same time, it is also certain that making a deal is the best way to end the conflict between Ben and Sasha. Still, the plan Sasha devises to “let go” of Ben from the height where she had wanted to “hold on” to Tommy — and her execution of that plan — produces a certain cathartic effect in the viewer.
A Technique That Builds Identification
When examined from a technical standpoint, Apex proves to be built on a simplicity that directly supports the narrative’s primary line of tension. Director Baltasar Kormákur adopts an approach that foregrounds “physical experience” over spectacle in visual storytelling. This preference becomes especially evident in camerawork and editing. The use of the camera focuses largely on conveying the harshness of nature and the character’s solitude. Wide shots emphasize Sasha’s smallness against the environment, while close-ups make physical exhaustion and psychological pressure visible.
The frequently used over-the-shoulder handheld camera throughout the film adds a slight tremor to the image, drawing the viewer into a more “physical” experience. Especially in the chase scenes, the camera can be seen moving together with the character. This transforms the act of watching from passive observation into a more “direct” experience. The scenes in which the camera shoots even underwater are among the most prominent examples of this.
On the editing side, the film oscillates between two different rhythms. A slower tempo is preferred in the film’s opening sequence. This allows the impact of the setting and the solitude to be established while the viewer spends time alongside the character. However, when the “threat” embodied by Ben becomes apparent, the editing noticeably speeds up. Shot lengths shorten, cuts between scenes become sharper, and transitions grow more abrupt. This change generates tension not only through events but also through the perception of time. The viewer finds themselves, like the character, feeling compelled to remain constantly on edge.
Production design stands out as one of the film’s strongest technical elements. Nature is used not merely as a backdrop but as an active dramatic element. Location choices give physical form to the character’s sense of being trapped with no way out. At this point it is worth mentioning the claustrophobia that emerges as Sasha tries to hide in the crevices between large rock formations. The scenes that force Sasha to take shelter in narrow crevices during the most intense and frightening sections of the chase make the viewer feel trapped in multiple ways and keep them on edge — demonstrating that considerable work has gone into creating identification between the viewer and the character in every respect.
In general, Apex employs the genre’s conventional tools from a technical standpoint, but brings them together in a highly controlled and functional manner. Camera and editing work in service of the narrative rather than for show. For this reason, the film presents a structure that, rather than being technically innovative, steadily maintains the atmosphere it establishes and draws the viewer into a physically tense experience. In short, Apex makes good use of its relatively brief runtime. With a small cast and a straightforward point of departure, I must say it tells the best possible story. I particularly recommend it to fans of survival films.
To read more articles by Can Ahmet Çelik, click here.
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