Survival Family (2016) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

The Suzuki family originally planned to fly from Haneda Airport, but the worldwide blackout had crippled aviation and most modern transportation. With no functioning electrical systems, air travel was no longer a viable option, leaving bicycles as one of the few reliable means of crossing the country during the crisis.

• bicycle journey
• haneda airport
• blackout transportation
• kagoshima travel

The blackout was caused by a massive solar flare that knocked out all electrical systems globally. The cause is only revealed at the end of the film when the family returns to Tokyo and watches the news, which reports that the phenomenon is still being studied.

• solar flare
• blackout cause
• power outage
• worldwide electricity failure

Kenji abandoned the pursuit after discovering the thief was a desperate man trying to provide for his wife and newborn baby. Seeing the man's dire situation shifted Kenji's response from vengeance to empathy, choosing compassion over recovering their stolen supplies.

• kenji
• thief
• water bottle
• empathy
• newborn baby

Yoshiyuki feared their supplies would run out before they reached Kagoshima and wanted to protect what little they had left. His decision to refuse the stranger and fabricate the shortage reflected the survival mindset that took hold once basic resources became scarce.

• yoshiyuki
• water supply
• rest stop
• survival mindset
• scarcity

After the makeshift raft capsized in the rainstorm and the current carried Yoshiyuki and the bikes downstream, his family presumed him dead. He actually survived and washed up in an empty rice field, where he later spotted the rescue train and used a flare to signal for help.

• yoshiyuki swept away
• river raft
• rice field
• survival
• flare

After arriving at an Osaka aquarium where a food distribution had been planned, the Suzukis found all supplies completely depleted. Facing starvation with no other options, Yoshiyuki killed a pig from a nearby field to feed his family, leading to their exchange of labor with local resident Zennichi Tanaka for smoked meat.

• osaka aquarium
• pig hunting
• food shortage
• zennichi tanaka
• smoked meat

During the blackout, the tunnel was pitch black and dangerous to navigate, but the group of blind women had learned to traverse it without sight. They offered safe passage to travelers in exchange for food, creating a barter economy that emerged as modern systems collapsed.

• blind women
• highway tunnel
• barter
• food exchange
• darkness

After taking shelter under a bridge from an incoming typhoon, Yoshiyuki became severely ill from drinking contaminated river water. The storm then washed away most of their remaining supplies and clothing, leaving them so desperate that they resorted to consuming pet food and the fluid from old batteries to survive.

• typhoon
• contaminated water
• pet food
• battery water
• desperation

After surviving the river and finding himself alone in an empty rice field, Yoshiyuki spotted a train passing nearby. Knowing his family might be on board, he ignited a flare to catch their attention, allowing them to reunite just as they had lost hope of ever seeing him again.

• yoshiyuki
• flare
• train rescue
• family reunion
• rice field

Kagoshima was their ancestral home, where Mitsue's elderly father still lived. With Tokyo descending into chaos and Yoshiyuki's boss advising him to head to the countryside, the family chose Kagoshima as their destination because it offered a familiar refuge and family support during the crisis.

• kagoshima
• mitsue father
• ancestral home
• countryside refuge

The blackout lasted approximately two and a half years. The film jumps forward at the end to show the Suzukis waking up to the sound of an alarm clock and music as electricity is finally restored, marking the end of their long survival journey.

• blackout duration
• two and a half years
• power restored
• timeline

The Saito family had adopted a different survival strategy, living off dried provisions and wild plants, and chose Nagoya as their own destination. Rather than traveling together, both families recognized they had separate goals and parted ways after a brief interaction on the road.

• saito family
• nagoya
• survival strategy
• dried food
• parting ways

The photograph captured a shared moment from when the Suzuki and Saito families crossed paths on the highway during their journey. It symbolized the meaningful human connections formed through hardship, showing that even brief encounters during the crisis left lasting bonds between strangers who helped each other survive.

• saito family
• photograph
• ending
• human connection
• shared journey

Before the blackout, each family member was absorbed in their own individual pursuits, creating emotional distance within the household. The survival crisis forced them to cooperate, share limited resources, and rely on one another daily, breaking down their isolation and rebuilding the family bonds that had eroded in modern life.

• family bonds
• dysfunctional family
• character growth
• survival cooperation
• relationships