by The scene begins with a warmer reconciliation between Alex and Jenn. Alex assures Jenn that everything will be fine. Jenn leans in to say “I know” and then kiss her to seal her trust. This is just before Alex unzips their flimsy tent and sees a black bear not far enough away to be comfortable.
Alex instructs Jenn to be quiet, then wonders aloud what the bear is doing. Jenn surmises that the animal has come back to steal their food a second time, which they both hope is the extent of the interaction. The bear starts crawling on all fours towards the tent, so Alex closes the hatch door.
“Please keep talking,” Alex mumbles like a last prayer.
As the bear continues its approach, Alex checks their supplies. They have no food to distract themselves with and Alex’s ax is in his bag he left by the fire. Jenn has bear repellent spray, but it’s their only defense.
The bear reaches the tent as Alex and Jenn sit helplessly, his paw pressing against the breakaway shelter. Each breath becomes heavier as the creature sniffs out what’s inside. The bear wants to get – the result drops to complete silence. The camera lingers on Alex and Jenn as they wait to see what happens next, which is when the bear breaks through the weak entrance to the enclosure.
The bear begins to growl and wave, slicing open Jenn’s arm. Blood runs down her wrist and begins to cover the bottom of the tent. Another swipe rips the other forearm and more blood hits the inside of the tent. Alex tells Jenn to stand behind him as the volume goes on and off to portray Jenn’s delicate mental state. Alex tries to punch and kick the bear until it goes away, but the blows are useless. The bear takes notice of Alex and bites into his leg, squeezing hard until Jenn uses bear spray to drive away the vicious invader.
Jenn tends to Alex’s gushing wound, thinking the worst is over. He tries to inflate Alex enough to crawl away, but he is in a state of complete panic and screams about how he is going to die. Jenn tricks Alex into believing such gloomy thoughts – until another growl is heard outside. The bear hasn’t left and they both sense what’s about to happen.
The bear reappears in the tent and pulls Alex outside while Jenn can only tremble with fear. There’s nothing he can do. Alex’s painful howls are heard as he is ripped apart a few meters away. Jenn is paralyzed. Alex’s face is half torn, his body drooping loosely. Alex’s last breaths are used to urge Jenn to flee, but she just sits there, stuck in an impossible moment, listening to the man she loves being shredded to pieces. It is without hyperbole the purest representation of realism-based horror.
