RESURRECTION
Written and directed by Andrew Semans, Resurrection is the story of one woman’s decades-long torment. When a man from Maggie’s past appears, her perfectly buttoned-up life turns upside down. Maggie’s hyper-structured existence hides severe unresolved trauma. Resurrection is a sick and twisted story of psychological damage and revenge.
Grace Kaufman is Abbie. As a college student, she possesses a casual abandon to her behavior. Her age-appropriate nonchalance is perfectly balanced with Hall’s ever-evolving intensity. Tim Roth is a master manipulator as David. He’s downright frightening. His backstory as a groomer is beyond upsetting. Roth gives off a slimy aura that makes the viewer’s full body cringe. Rebecca Hall‘s performance is immaculate. Hall’s idiosyncrasies are impeccable. Anyone familiar with PTSD will recognize the guarded physicality, the body at attention in a millisecond, and the sudden, sharp tone change in the voice. Panic attacks are all-consuming, and Hall lives inside them throughout the film. But it is her confessional monologue that will split your soul in two. It’s simultaneously heart-wrenching and matter-of-fact.
The heightened sound editing chills the senses. It’s a palpable stress-inducing choice that accosts the audience. You’ll have to remember to breathe while watching Resurrection. Andrew Semans‘ writing astounds me. He understands the fear and gaslighting so many women live with daily, then takes it to the nth degree. It’s also about telling your story. Resurrection is relentlessly terrifying and grossly relevant. Believe women.
RESURRECTION will be released by IFC Films in theaters on July 29th and on Demand on August 5th. Shudder will be the exclusive streaming home in November 2022.
Screenwriter and director Andrew Semans’ jaw-dropping sophomore feature, RESURRECTION had its world premiere at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. Margaret (Rebecca Hall) leads a successful and orderly life, perfectly balancing the demands of her busy career and single parenthood to her fiercely independent daughter Abbie. Everything is under control. But that careful balance is upended when an unwelcome shadow from her past, David (Tim Roth) returns, carrying with him the horrors of Margaret’s past. Battling her rising fear, Margaret must confront the monster she’s evaded for two decades who has come to conclude their unfinished business.
As you watch Jason Stone‘s thriller The Calling, it may be hard not to recall David Fincher‘s Se7en. Both are steeped in biblical lore and both feature a serial killer, although that could up for some debate in the former. But that’s where the analogy wears off. The Calling is based in the cold expanse of the Great White North – Canada – not the hustle and bustle of the big city (presumably New York) in Se7en. Its lead detective, Hazel Micallef (Susan Sarandon doing her best Marge Gunderson), is the exact opposite of the wise sage that was Somerset (Morgan Freeman) – she is broken and conflicted, a drunk and a pillhead who is seemingly indifferent to doing her job. Her partner Ray Green (Gil Bellows) isn’t anywhere near as apathetic as Hazel and operates by the rules, which is a point of contention between the two throughout the film. An odd couple, if you will. 
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