Apex is a terrifying survival thriller that is set in the cruel wilderness of Australia, where Sasha a haunted mountain climber goes in search of isolation to help her forget her traumatic past. When her partner Tommy dies in a tragic accident on the Troll Wall in Norway, she takes the burden of her guilt and goes away to the remote Wandarra National Park. Her lonely life is destroyed as she meets Ben who is a hideous predator with an unsettling fascination with ritualistic murder. When the real nature of Ben reveals itself, showing his cannibalistic rituals, and his inner disturbing motives, Sasha finds herself in a deadly game of survival, not only to protect her life, but also to battle her own inner demons.
The movie is great in its ability to make the audience plunge into the harsh world of the Australian bush, which turns to be a threatening enemy. The stressful scenes of chasing, including risky climbs, and quick escapes of the river, are skillfully developed in order to create a visceral experience of threat and desperation. The fact that Sasha is a frail survivor one day, and the next a ruthless fighter, is compelling and speaks of the conflict between the human soul, with its fragile aspirations and the primal mindset awakened by her terrifying ordeal. The growing violence and psychological torture leads to a tense, ethically complicated climax that questions her ideas of right and wrong as well as survival. Her subsequent escape and the revelation of the hideous hideout of Ben, are mere reminders of the blackness that can reside in a human being.
In sum, Apex is crude examination of the human spirit, the corruption of morals, and the primitive desire to survive by any means necessary. The physical and emotional trauma that Sasha undergoes is physically and emotionally draining as it causes her to adopt the darkness, which she had previously feared. Her throwing of the compass used by Tommy into the ocean is a powerful ending to the film, as she is trying to lose the past and make a new identity. It is a gut-level, dramatic narrative that sticks with you, and highlights that life can often force us to push our limits and even confront our worst fears.
