Andrew Semans presents his second feature film, Resurrection, at the Sundance Film Festival. A slow burn thriller about the plight of resurfacing trauma and how it can upturn the life of someone who had been able, in most ways, to move past it. The psychological build up makes way for an explosive and disturbing ending that will leave audiences wincing way after the credits have rolled.
Written by Alex Gilston
Margaret (Rebecca Hall) is a fairly successful woman, finely balancing her career and being the sole parent of her soon to be 18 year old daughter. But all of that is thrown into doubt when a face from her past starts showing up around her in public. Resurrection is very specifically about the undoing of Margaret’s mental health when David (Tim Roth) begins to turn up into her life again. The film does a good job at representing how past trauma defines who we are, the choices we make, and more importantly how it affects us if we are forced to revisit it.
Rebecca Hall is on fine form here, and coming off the back of another Sundance favourite The Night House, she’s proving to be one of the best working actors in Hollywood at this given moment. It’s a loud and boisterous performance but the impressive nature of it comes from the subtleties throughout with the little changes in facial expressions and body movements. As soon as David comes back into the picture you can tell the hierarchy of power has changed hands. Tim Roth is comfortably discerning as David. His mere presence is felt like a crashing wave and yet he can still lull you into a false sense of security at times.
There is a lot to like about Resurrection, the fantastical, less realistic aspects of it have a harder time pushing through, but when it’s more grounded in realism it’s a really strong piece of work.
STAR RATING
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