Resolution

Directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, Resolution follows Peter Cilella’s Michael as he attempts to get his junkie best friend (Vinny Curran’s Chris) clean within an isolated cabin surrounded by dangerous and, eventually, supernatural figures. First-time filmmakers Benson and Moorhead, working from their own screenplay, deliver an excessively deliberate drama that opens with some promise, admittedly, as the movie benefits from the strong work of its stars and an episodic (and somewhat hit-and-miss) midsection detailing the protagonists’ encounters with locals of varying sketchiness. It’s clear, though, that the meandering bent of Benson and Moorhead’s screenplay slowly-but-surely drains one’s interest and enthusiasm, and it increasingly does begin to feel as though the directors have awkwardly expanded a short to feature length – with the less-than-spellbinding atmosphere compounded by a head-scratching third act that’s hardly able to make the stirring impact Benson and Moorhead have obviously intended. (This is to say nothing of the entirely anticlimactic finale, certainly.) The final result is a disappointingly half-baked endeavor that generally feels as though it should be much, much better, which is a shame given that Benson and Moorhead have unquestionably put an unique spin on a run-of-the-mill storyline.

** out of ****