Movie Reviews

[Overlook] ‘Resurrection’ (2022) review: Rebecca Hall mesmerizes in uncomfortable thriller

Hard to watch in the best way

June 4, 2022

Resurrection will keep audiences guessing until its final shot. The movie is about a woman named Margaret (Rebecca Hall) who is living a comfortable life. Things take a sudden turn when a person from her past makes a sudden and unexpected return. As she tries to deal with the memories of her youth, those closest to her try to help her get her life back under control. But are the torments of her past too difficult for anyone – including Margaret – to resolve?

The story builds an air of discomfort and tension from the opening moments. Though Margaret’s life is carefully constructed (even the affair she is having with a married man seems done more out of necessity than anything else), there is a sense that something is not quite right. As Resurrection reveals more about Margaret’s life, things even become even more difficult to watch.

Hall does a fantastic job and is the highlight of just about every scene she is in. This includes a great monologue in which she gives details of her past to her intern. Throughout the film she is paranoid, in control, passionate, and resourceful. Many times, she shows off differing emotions in the same scene. The final moments are a great example of the range Hall has.

Writer-director Andrew Semans has put together a story that will have people wanting to know what will happen next while also making them worried about what they are going to see. This can be seen most in his well written characters. Audiences want to see how Margaret is going to handle the intrusion in her life, but will also be worried about how she handles difficult choices.

Everything culminates in a wild finale that goes against the rest of the movie.

Tim Roth is able to match Hall’s intensity and the two have excellent chemistry. Every interaction between the two are suspenseful ones that will often leave the audiences feeling squeamish. What makes Roth’s performance so great is that it is one that could easily played in an over the top manner. Resurrection is an overall grounded story, but there are moments that lean into the wilder aspects of the story. By keeping David Moore as down to earth as the rest of the story, Roth makes the character that much more menacing.

Everything culminates in a wild finale that goes against the rest of Resurrection. The build to the moment is so well done that it fits with the story that is being told, however. The entire film has been a character study that has looked at a very specific aspect of Margaret’s life. There are a number of themes that are touched on that all come together in these final moments. It is chaotic and shocking, and is the best way things could have ended.