Resolution: Twisty Meta-Horror Done Right

Comments (0) By Nick Schager Wednesday, Jan 23 2013

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Resolution
Directed by Justin Benson and Aaron S. Moorhead
Tribeca Films
Available on demand

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Putting The Cabin in the Woods to shame on a fraction of the budget, Resolution dispenses twisty meta-horror without sacrificing tension and intrigue. The title of Justin Benson and Aaron S. Moorhead's film refers both to narrative solutions and visual clarity, which are slow in coming to Michael (Peter Cilella) after he travels to a dilapidated cabin on a Native American reservation to handcuff crackhead pal Chris (Vinny Curran) to a pipe to save him from an impending OD death. That Michael is compelled to take up this mission by an e-mailed video of Chris that the junkie couldn't possibly have sent (he has no computer) is only the first of many mysteries. When not confronting violent threats from Chris's druggie acquaintances and reservation security thugs, Michael becomes obsessed with a collection of increasingly high-res found media abandoned by French researchers. He believes these sources reveal a tale involving ghosts, telekinesis, demons, portals to alternate dimensions, and other supernatural phenomena. Those elements never coalesce into a pat whole, but ambiguity enlivens the smart, knotty Resolution, which routinely nods to its own artificiality while positing storytelling as a constantly evolving beast apt to save your life one moment and consume you the next.