Rebecca Hall is remarkable as Margaret, a single mother who appears to be in complete control of her life. She’s got a high-powered job, a nice apartment, fiercely exercises on the daily, and would do anything for her 17 year-old daughter, Abbie (Grace Kaufman). However, with the arrival of her abusive ex-boyfriend, David (Tim Roth) – Margaret’s agonizing trauma of the past comes back from the dead to destroy her once and for all. What Resurrection has in store for its audience won’t soon be forgotten, even if what emerges can hardly be explained. It’s instantly intriguing, deeply disturbing, and frustratingly obscure.
A feeling of wickedness lurking is there almost from the beginning. And it finally reveals itself in all of its true darkness when Margaret and David come face to face and their shocking secrets are disclosed. Havoc and hysteria arise as writer/director Andrew Semans sends us on a fucked up and disoriented journey where we’re left to our own assumptions of what’s real and what’s a figment of Margaret’s imagination. The issue is when Resurrection decides to fly off the rails, it becomes less gripping and more farcical and confusing.
The two stellar performances by Hall and Roth are very much what holds this film together. Roth’s mix of charisma and evil is captivating to watch, though David’s threatening presence diminishes by the time the gruesome third act occurs. It’s body horror shown in all of its guts and glory. More so, without Hall’s intense, physical portrayal of a mother falling apart – this psychological thriller/horror wouldn’t have come close in conveying the emotional influence that’s offered to us.
There are aspects of Resurrection that are simply spellbinding. The experimental and shocking depiction from Semans of Margaret’s relationship with David and, to a certain extent, with her daughter Abbie is borderline insane/impressive. The unfaltering love for a child, the power of having control, feeding on another’s open wounds, and gender empowerment are explored in a unique way that’s never been shown like this. Unfortunately, by the end, the film becomes unclear as to what it’s trying to accomplish thematically, all the while succumbing to a surreal yet failing finale that provides next to nothing once finally reaching Margaret’s retribution.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association and the Southeastern Film Critics Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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