Resurrection

              When it comes to making contradictory characters seem even possible, few do it as well as Rebecca Hall. One of her gifts is what she can portray with so little words said, often elevating the drama or horror she is experiencing. For her new film Resurrection that talent is on full display as she plays a woman with a sense of trauma and psychological damage that will have you on the edge of your seat.

              Margaret (Rebecca Hall) is a women very much in control of every aspect of her life and at the peak of her success. She is very happy being single and has a very fulfilled sex life as she has a lover she sees quite frequently. It is not all about “me” time though as she has also managed to raise a responsible daughter named Abbie (Grace Kaufman) who seems to also have it together, frankly life looks like it doesn’t get much better. Things though start to fall apart when Margaret sees David (Tim Roth), a man from her past that seems to have the key to unravel her. David is an older man who when Margaret was younger was in a toxic relationship with and the sight of him has her retreating back into her shell slowly. David at first doesn’t acknowledge Margaret, even claiming he doesn’t know her, but this is all part of a game of control for him.

Margaret starts to fall apart and with it the relationships that she held close, including the one with her daughter as she becomes too overprotective and pushes her away.  With David showing up randomly it makes us wonder if he is real or if he is Margaret’s mind splintering from a past trauma.

Written and directed by Andrew Semans, Resurrection  takes us inside a mind that is sick from the return of the past and has a fear of falling again. While we are taken to mind-jarring places by Seman, he puts Margaret through the wringer both physically and emotionally, all of which is portrayed by Hall with a haunting intensity. As Margaret’s life starts to unravel the movie’s suspense increases which is helped by the great menacing performance that Roth gives. While Margaret is clearly suffering, for David he is almost mocking her anguish as he makes her life a painful experience. Resurrection is not a simple story of a mother protecting her child from a stalker, no it takes things to a much more darker place that might just leave an imprint on you.

              Both suspenseful and also establishing horror aspects, Resurrection fully embraces both its normal and bizarre elements. It is gripping and intense and takes unexpected turns that help build a tension that can almost feel overwhelming. Resurrection is a tale of personal drams and the reflection of that, as well as a female emancipation story all while being a very strong psychological drama. It will hold your attention while feeding your need to find out where this will all end up. There are some huge swings taken in the final act and while we might never know what is real and what is not, there is no denying what we see will be seared into our brain long after the movie ends.