Spoilers are in therapy.

Perhaps we’re in a horror-thriller loop, but this one I was leaving for later. The fact that it cranked the intensity enough to crack my attention told me it deserved to be moved up. Once in a while we do need one of these to break the glass ceiling and stir things up just so we know we shouldn’t get comfortable. That being said, some audiences might not find the direction the plot takes appealing. We’re halfway in already so let’s get started.

(Credit: IFC Films)

Resurrection (2022) is written and directed by Andrew Semans. Margaret (Rebecca Hall) is a successful business woman and single parent. Her young daughter Abbie (Grace Kaufman) is getting ready to leave for college in a few months. Her life seems to be together, until a shadow from her past comes back. A man called David (Tim Roth) that she thought she’d left behind a lifetime ago, reappears showing up where she least expects him. Margaret is now set on a dangerous path where her paranoia sets in.

What sets this apart from so many other thrillers is that unlike the usual innocent victim that ignores the danger that besets her, we have a broken person that has suffered deep trauma. The threat is not one where Margaret knows the truth and can’t get anybody to help her. Instead it’s her inner demons of such a memory that cause her to isolate herself from everyone else, including her daughter, that tries to convince her she needs help. Unlike the trope of the mother-knows-best, this is a case of a traumatized woman whose deep rooted fears ravage her psyche. This will not end well because it should not end well.

It worked for me. Rebecca Hall carries the entire film with her gripping performance as Margaret. She’s flawed, she’s trying and she needs help desperately yet turns away from it. It’s heartbreaking to see her close relationship with her daughter torn to shreds. As David, Tim Roth does an amazing work as the toxic, disturbed, controlling individual who always seems to be one step ahead. It was the performances that sold this film for me. The ending goes a little (a lot) into WTF territory but it’s a case in which we cannot the point-of-view of our main character anymore. Our view of the movie world becomes distorted.

Strongly recommended for fans of psychological horror. The sacred trope of the mother that knows it all is subverted and the depiction of trauma will deter some casual audiences, as well as the ending. That being said, I was impressed by the performances of our main cast, specially Rebecca Hall. If you don’t mind a thriller with horror and some shock, I believe this would be a strong feature for you. Worth a watch for those who can stomach it.

That will do for now.