Resurrection
Directed by Andrew Semans
★★★½
RESURRECTION
Season: 1
Description: RESURRECTION Still 3
Characters/Actors: Rebecca Hall as “Margaret” in Andrew Semans’ RESURRECTION.
Type: Photos
Photo Credit: Courtesy of IFC Films. An IFC Films release.
Rebecca Hall is steadily becoming Hollywood’s most underrated performer. Ever since getting the boot as the primary antagonist in Shane Black’s Iron Man 3, Hall has put in increasingly more potent character-driven performances, specifically in the thriller genre, as of late (The Night House, anyone?). Yet, assuredly aided by the help of the male-dominated scene in Hollywood, she has mostly remained under the radar. Like many from Hall’s filmography, Resurrection rests solely on her more than capable shoulders.
The film follows Hall’s character Margaret, who has a seemingly well-put-together life. She works in a high position at a good company, she is raising a daughter on her own that’s getting ready to go off to university and she seems to be in charge of her sex life, opting for her married co-worker, who she isn’t afraid to filter her personal life from. Everything seems perfect until Margaret starts recognizing a figure from her past (an always impressive Tim Roth) starting to populate the places she frequents.
Resurrection plays up the paranoia factor, allowing Hall to really tap into the mania Margaret is internally experiencing. She starts to get wrapped up in her head, spiraling and affecting everyone around her. Is she going insane? Is the man she recognizes from her past legitimately her tormentor or just a projection of her existential chaos onto a familiar face?
The film takes its time unfolding at a somewhat snail-like pace. If you are on board for that, it turns into one hell of a roller coaster. Its progression builds to a symphonic climax that ends with a pronounced clashing of cymbals.
Resurrection is bombastic and utterly fucking bonkers, and its finale definitely may not be everyone’s cup of tea, especially the untidy bow of a finish. Yet, Hall’s mannered performance is worth the watch, even if it ends on a surprisingly flat note.
