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Send Help is a survival horror thriller centered on two coworkers who find themselves stranded on a deserted island as the sole survivors of a plane crash. Directed by Sam Raimi, the film stars Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien in the lead roles and is scheduled to arrive in U.S. theaters on January 30, 2026. But Raimi isn’t aiming to tell a familiar castaway story. Instead, he uses survival as a true test of character, turning expectations upside down along the way, explaining gender roles in the upcoming survival thriller.
Send Help: A Plane Crash That Changes Everything
Set in a harsh, unfamiliar environment, Send Help centers on Linda, played by Rachel McAdams, and her boss, Bradley, played by Dylan O’Brien. After surviving a plane crash, the two find themselves stranded on a deserted island with no one coming to rescue them anytime soon.
What starts as a fight for food, shelter, and safety slowly becomes something deeper. Linda and Bradley must overcome past grievances and work together to survive, but ultimately, it’s a battle of wills and wits to make it out alive.
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Sam Raimi On Flipping Gender Roles
Rather than focusing only on simple survival, Sam Raimi uses the wilderness as a symbolic battleground, one where social conditioning, gender bias, and institutional power are put under a microscope. Away from office politics and oppressive structures, his characters are compelled to confront who they truly are, rather than who society has allowed them to be. It’s a narrative that challenges traditional ideas of competence, authority, and dominance.
This shift allows the film to question long-held ideas about authority, competence, and dominance. Who really deserves power when systems disappear? Raimi explains that this reversal of power lies at the very heart of Send Help. The film isn’t just about two people stranded in the wild; it’s about what happens when the social systems that protect certain individuals suddenly vanish.
Raimi explains that this gender reversal is central to the film’s message. He shared: “What if a woman was cheated by the boys’ club at work, held down by corporate management, and a terrible, mean boss who treats her unfairly? What if she was unable to succeed because of the way things inherently are in our society? And what if they crash-landed on an island and the roles were reversed? She knows how to survive in the wild. It’s her hobby, but all Bradley knows is corporate politics and management. He knows nothing useful when it comes to surviving in the real world. We learn who is capable and who is not.”
Raimi’s vision isn’t just about survival; it’s about exposing how power often comes from systems, not skill. By removing societal structures, the film forces its characters into a raw, elemental test of worth.
Send Help is scheduled to hit U.S. theaters on January 30, 2026, and will be released by 20th Century Studios.
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