Let’s take a look at some cosmic horror.
Resolution comes from the same guys who did The Endless (which is certainly worth a watch). Despite being made several years before, this one maintains a high level of quality.
The plot starts of simple: Michael (Peter Cilella) makes one last attempt to convince his childhood friend Chris (Vinny Curran) to go to rehab. Michael is expecting a child, and receives a video of a meth-addled Chris seeming to lose his mind. What exactly prompts Michael to make this attempt at this moment isn’t clear at first, but he decides to give it one week.
Chris immediately rejects the offer, and Michael agrees to leave (and the credits roll… just kidding). Michael tazes Chris and handcuffs him to his mattress, and will only release him after seven days—when the meth is out of his system. If Chris decides he wants to kill himself after that, so be it, but he must make the decision clear-minded.
This is where the film works, and the directing team proves they know their stuff. The story is already compelling—particularly when we find out Chris owes people money, and is squatting on Native American land. Adding the levels of mystery and horror works here because the world is interesting. Instead of having half-assed scenarios set up for cheap scares, we are put into a grounded (albeit depressing) world where suddenly things take a sinister turn.
Chris didn’t send Michael the video—how could he? Something seems to be watching them, and leaving them clues around the cabin. Slowly, things begin to take a more supernatural turn, and Michael must balance caring for Chris and trying to figure out what is happening around them.
The film looks great. The cabin is decrepit and feels dirty, but also livable. The scenery is beautiful, and the sound effects are fantastic. If I had to gripe, sometimes the clues Michael receives are too blurry for us as the viewer to make out. We have to wait for him to explain it to us. This is a small gripe, and one that only detracts from the film at one point.
Where the film excels is the acting. Michael and Chris seem like distant friends, and they range from friendly banter, heartfelt conversations, to angry insults that shows they understand the vulnerabilities of one another. The fact that we have such a great story where 90% of it occurs in one room is astonishing. The less-is-more approach works fantastically here.
The less you know going in the better. Overall, this is a horror film that defies and emboldens the genre at once. Certainly worth watching and discussing.
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