Movie Review: Sanctuary

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B+

An excellent psychological thriller. 

This movie is basically a two-character piece, with pretty much everyone else in the film being an extra. These are the types of films that can either work very well or fall flat on their face. Luckily for the most part this one works beautifully. This is the type of story where the entire drama is simply what is happening between these two characters and everything else that happens is simply secondary (if even that). The story involves a dominatrix who has been having sessions with a man, who is now going to become CEO of a major company (what this company actually does is of no importance). Now that he is going to move into such a powerful position, she decides to blackmail him with a video of one of their sessions, stating that she wants half of what he makes. However what this movie is about is really a intellectual  duel between these two. They are constantly fighting for power and to get the upper hand of one another. This is handled through a lot of very intelligently written dialogue that is simply wonderful to listen to. Though in the end not a whole lot is actually happening on screen, we still find ourselves being completely drawn into what is happening and listening intently to every single word these characters say. This is of course heavily held together by wonderful performances by Christopher Abbott and Margaret Qualley, both of whom give perfect performances. This movie is also helped by some great and intelligent twists that always keep you guessing what is going to happen next. Many (though not all) of these twists work very well. Though for many films being mostly confined to one space would make it feel too stage bound, that is not the case here. Instead the confining to one space in a medium that normally does not do this, makes the film feel claustrophobic (in a good way) and uncomfortable. 

This movie does have its faults though. Because of its very simply story line even at only 1 hour and 36 minutes, this film feels overlong and can even feel a bit too repetitive at times. The use of camera angles also can feel distracting. The do not get us into the minds of the characters as seemed to be the intention instead they take us out of the film, the same can be said for the few scenes with the abstract colors. I also felt that the ending felt a little too tidy and not subversive enough for a film like this.

All in all despite some faults, this is an excellent film that will keep you guessing for much of its length.