Tribeca 2012 Review: RESOLUTION

Whichever distributor picks this film up is going to have a hell of a time figuring out the proper way to market this beast. RESOLUTION tells the story of Michael (Peter Cilella) who attempts to get his former best friend Chris (Vinny Curran) to leave the burnt out shell of a house he is living in and go to rehab. When Chris refuses, Michael handcuffs him to the wall and plans to wait the seven days it will take for the drugs to clear out of his system. During the course of the week, some strange characters show up including drug dealers, Indian reservation security, and members of a local cult. With Chris suffering from extreme withdrawal, Michael cares for him while piecing together various forms of media he finds scattered throughout the surrounding woods that seem to be hinting at a much bigger story. Oh, and it’s a comedy, albeit a fairly dark one. As I said, not an easy sell but I truly hope someone rises to the challenge because this film deserves to be seen.

Similar to THE CABIN IN THE WOODS in that it is a film that works best with the audience knowing as little as possible going in, I will not reveal anything else about the plot. If you are at least intrigued by the film, I suggest you don’t even watch whatever trailers they eventually release for fear of spoilers. I genuinely had no idea where the film was headed next and that is a rare feat nowadays. Full of clever twists and witty dialogue, the film culminates in what may be the most spectacularly meta ending in cinema history. I know the meta term scares some people but it really works in this film.

The script is sharply written by Justin Benson, who also did an equally fantastic job co-directing with Aaron Moorhead. Visually intriguing, utilizing interesting camera and editing techniques, the film has a great look and feel that really enhances the story it is trying to tell. Peter Cilella and Vinny Curran get the bulk of the screen time, which is great since they have excellent chemistry and are totally engaging to watch. These are really breakout performances for each of them and I look forward to seeing more of them in the future. I am also looking forward to future collaborations between Moorhead and Benson because these guys seriously know what they are doing.

Not that this means anything but of the 18 features I saw, RESOLUTION is my favorite film of the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival.

Jerry Cavallaro – @GetStuck – JerryCavallaro.com