Sanctuary (2022)

Sanctuary (2022) For the first ten minutes of the film, I thought we were going to see good dialogue for an hour and a half. Then, in the next fifteen minutes, it changes radically and already descends into perversion. Then it looks like it’s going to get good again… but it never does.

After inheriting his father’s hotel chain, Hal attempts to end his long, secret relationship with the domineering Rebecca. A battle of wills ensues to keep the upper hand as the power dynamic swings wildly from side to side.Two actors in a flat that looks like a single room through and through.

An unlikely in camera affair between a domineering lover and a wealthy heir in a flat script that doesn’t hold up. A promising synopsis with a plot that disappears very quickly.

Margaret Qualley is sinking in my esteem! She’s in more and more films that I hate. Any examples? Easy: The Substance (2024), Kinds of Kindness (2024) and Poor Things (2023) to name but a few. She’s also in films that don’t interest me, but that I might still give a chance, like Drive-Away Dolls (2024) or Stars at Noon (2022). And who knows? I might be surprised and reconsider my judgement! The Nice Guys (2016) looks relatively nice, though.

This one I’m definitely going to see soon. In fact, the only film I’ve really enjoyed with Margaret so far is Virgin Secrets (2019). That doesn’t stop Andie MacDowell’s daughter from being a very talented and good actress! But film choices are essential for me to fully appreciate an actress or actor. The magnetism of the actress, who delivers an admittedly remarkable performance, isn’t enough to make me forget a repetitive, frustrating and rapidly boring film.

So what can we say about this film by Zachary Wigon? Sanctuary really isn’t very good. I was cruelly bored by this far-fetched psycho-masochistic film. Christopher Abbott is not at his best, it seems to me. His character is nauseatingly soft, weak and lost.

It’s a shame, because there was potential for something good. I’m not convinced by the title either, although we’re still waiting to find out why it’s called that. It’s funny: we only see two actors in the film, but there are still eight names in the credits. In fact, we see a couple about to take the lift and we see a few family photos. So, of course…

This film can put you off closed-door scenes, the BDSM world and lots of other things. It’s very bad and even the good, interesting messages drown in boredom or unhealthiness. ‘Sanctuary’ is a story of seduction and power games as two people try to get the better of each other. Almost anything goes…

This cat-and-mouse game is more like psychological warfare, which is very often childish and silly, so that you never believe that it could really go any further than mere words. It’s a very special film, and one that will leave a lot of people wanting more. Not necessarily because it takes place in real time, but above all because of the somewhat far-fetched scenario, which tells of a relationship of domination and submission between a young heir and a luxury call girl.

The opening is more than intriguing, and the first quarter-hour is a real eye-opener, as we don’t quite know what we’re getting into until a well-executed mini-revelation.

Be warned, there will probably be spoilers, even if they’re unintentional! When the first session of psychological sadomasochism comes to an end, that’s when the unhealthy power play between the sexes really begins. And it’s clearly not always very convincing. In fact, it’s hard to believe what happens next in this highly theatrical in camera show.

The characters’ relationships seem plausible, but their development becomes increasingly strange and unconvincing. As for the finale, or rather the resolution of their conflict, it seems even more improbable.

Under these conditions, it’s hard to buy into the dramatic progression of Zachary Wigon’s first film, even though it’s unusual and develops an interesting, even intriguing, subject. The whole thing is inevitably very talkative, with a succession of pertinent dialogues quickly buried by others that are far less captivating.I wonder, moreover, whether the short film format of around thirty minutes might not have been better suited to this particular script.

Fortunately, the cinematography, with its warm colours, and the direction do try (a little) to innovate and give us a few good ideas, while others turn out to be perfectly useless. I’m thinking in particular of the shots where the camera tilts, for example.There are at least four of them.

But the added value of Sanctuary is unquestionably its actress, who is once again far more credible than the film itself. But, as I’ve made clear, she doesn’t manage to make this bedtime story relevant.

It’s worth noting that the subject of relationships of domination and submission seems to be approached from the side rather than the front, leaving us with a feeling of frustration and a taste of unfinished business, even if the final moral is equivocal and in keeping with the times.

Yes, the pitch was promising: the future heir to a large group (created by his father) undergoes special psychology sessions, but wants to break up with his sadomasochistic mistress. Both protagonists are immature, unsympathetic and unattractive.They’re really not the kind of people I like to meet. All they do is talk and get into each other’s heads, without believing for a second in the plot or its consequences. Rather badly written film. You’re often surprised when the action unfolds, but not in the right way.An original film that would certainly make a good play for those who loved it.Although there would be costs, given that there are quite a few things that break!Anyway!

As far as I’m concerned, it was another waste of time.