10/21: Resolution

 10/21

Today's horror movie was one I've wanted to watch for a few years now ever since I watched The Endless and Spring. I've been immensely impressed by the output of Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, so I was curious to see how their debut Resolution would be. 

I've sort of moved backwards through Benson and Moorhead's films, which has made it an interesting experience to see how their voice has deepened and matured with each film. The directing team are masters at mindbend-y, bizarre, atypical horror that flaunts conventions, and I love every second of it. Resolution is no different, following two friends over a few days as inexplainable happenings begin occurring around them. One of these friends, Chris, is a drug addict who has gone on a mad bender in a cabin. The other, Michael, comes and handcuffs him to a pipe, forcing him to go cold turkey. They begin receiving different videos and audio recordings from a mysterious entity that seem to show the past, present, and future.  

The concept of this movie is killer and hits anyone with a BFF right in the feels. Moorhead and Benson can do this so well, creating a sense of foreboding terror while also going for true feeling. Resolution stands as a story of two friends doing anything for the other while also coming up against something even more daunting than addiction. They're this entity's plaything and what the message is here has a multitude of interpretations. Is the entity a god, as the sort-of sequel The Endless would suggest, or is it us in the audience? Or is it addiction itself? It's deep and thought provoking, something these directors have in spades.

Of course, Resolution doesn't have quite the sophistication and polish of its predecessors, and it does show its minuscule budget at times. All that aside, Resolution stands as a great debut that created a foundation for the stellar foundation for the movies that would come in its wake. 

8/10