Preservation (2014) is a tense psychological thriller that explores the limits of human instinct and the fragility of civilization when stripped of comfort and safety. The film follows three characters — brothers Sean and Mike, and Mike’s wife Wit — who embark on a weekend hunting trip deep in a remote wildlife preserve. What begins as a casual escape from the pressures of urban life soon turns into a nightmare when the trio finds themselves hunted by an unseen enemy. The movie’s quiet, eerie beginning gradually spirals into chaos, revealing not only the cruelty of their pursuers but also the darkness lurking within each of them.

Wit, a successful surgeon struggling with her marriage and career, hopes the trip will bring her closer to her husband, but tension brews between the brothers from the start. Sean, a veteran haunted by his time in the military, carries a quiet aggression and a sense of detachment, while Mike, a corporate type, hides his own insecurities behind arrogance. Their dynamic sets the stage for conflict long before the real danger arrives. When they wake one morning to find their gear, phones, and car gone — their campsite marked with the word “PRESERVE” — panic begins to set in. The isolation of the forest, once peaceful, becomes suffocating as they realize they are being watched and hunted by masked assailants.

As the story unfolds, the traditional roles of predator and prey begin to blur. The attackers, revealed to be a group of teenage thrill-seekers armed with technology and cameras, treat the hunt as a game, recording every cruel moment. The moral contrast between civilization and savagery begins to erode, and survival becomes the only code that matters. Mike and Sean’s attempts to fight back lead to violence, betrayal, and death, leaving Wit alone to confront both her fear and her untapped capacity for brutality.

The transformation of Wit is the emotional and thematic core of Preservation. Initially passive and cautious, she evolves into a fierce survivor, turning the hunters’ tactics against them. Stripped of compassion and reason, she becomes a reflection of the very violence she despised. By the end, her calm, blood-smeared face challenges the viewer to question what truly separates humanity from savagery when survival is at stake.

Director Christopher Denham crafts an atmosphere of claustrophobic dread, using the forest not just as a setting but as a psychological trap where every sound, shadow, and silence becomes a threat. The sparse dialogue and tense pacing keep the focus on instinct and emotion rather than exposition.

Ultimately, Preservation is not just a story about being hunted; it is a study of dehumanization and the thin line between civilization and chaos. It forces audiences to confront an uncomfortable truth — that beneath the surface of comfort and morality, primal survival instincts are always waiting to resurface, as ruthless and unrelenting as nature itself.