Sanctuary – REVIEW
Image: SANCTUARY starring Margaret Qually and Christopher Abbott.
In the opening scene of this adult’s only psychological thriller a beautiful young woman arrives in a flash hotel and interviews a man for the position of CEO of a large company. It’s an emotionally intense final session that can make or break his career…or is it? Don’t be fooled…there’s much more going on in this movie than meets the eye!
Rebecca is a dominatrix and is being paid to play a game as scripted by Hal, the man in question, as a means of boosting his confidence. She has made a huge difference to his life. He pays her to make him feel a certain way as he feels like trash even though he’s a millionaire. But she offers this therapy on one condition – it’s not physical, but mental.
But as the session progresses so does the sexual empowerment and dominance in this dark and deliciously wicked, fractured romance of sorts, reminiscent of hit flick ’50 Shades of Grey’ but with a reversal of roles.
The story takes an unpredictable turn when Rebecca blackmails him claiming that she has captured all their graphic sessions on tape, which she will release to the business world if he doesn’t pay her half of his yearly $8 million salary.
Is Hal the ‘harmless and fragile little bitch’ Rebecca claims or could he make her disappear? Can this dangerous erotic power struggle actually lead to murder?
In the initial stages of this movie audiences may question whether they should have been more selective in which movie they chose to watch, as it seems laughably bad. But as the story progresses, anticipation builds with the question quietly being asked, where the hell is this movie leading to?
This is not your conventional cinematic offering as there are only two actors and they perform in the one hotel room setting throughout. This has a ‘live theatre’ feel meaning it could effectively be performed on stage.
There are no graphic sex scenes with much left to the imagination, but audiences should definitely feel the suffocating sensuality. As the emotional explosion builds so does the sexual tension between the two characters.
Margaret Qualley and Christopher Abbott deliver riveting performances in this modern day tale about sex, power, and love. There’s a lot of screaming and shouting going on but audiences may realize that ultimately it’s an irresistibly subtle sex comedy – an oddity with an unpredictable yet satisfying conclusion.
★★★
In Cinemas August 17
