A man imprisons his estranged junkie friend in an isolated cabin to force him through a week of sobriety, but the events of that week are being mysteriously manipulated. A film by Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead, starring Peter Cilella, Vinny Curran, Zahn McClarnon, and Bill Oberst Jr.
RESOLUTION
Justin Benson • Aaron Moorhead
(2013)
Michael Danube (Peter Cilella) receives an email from Chris Daniels (Vinny Curran), a friend he has lost touch with. Chris distances himself from society due to his struggles with drug addiction. The email contains a video of Chris, visibly under the influence of drugs, along with a map.
His wife Jennifer (Emily Montague) disagrees with the idea of him traveling to see Chris. Michael is determined to help his friend Chris break free from the cycle of drug addiction. He promises her that he will return within a week.
Michael follows the map until he finds Chris sitting outside a rundown house, shooting at birds. When Chris sees Michael, he is surprised that Michael managed to find him, but he invites him inside to talk.
Michael tries to persuade Chris to go to rehab, but he is unsuccessful. Frustrated, he uses a stun gun to subdue Chris, allowing him to handcuff him and keep him confined in the house.
Moments later, Michael discovers photographs, film, and videos capturing strange images scattered around the house. However, Chris insists that he did not send the email to Michael, as he doesn’t have a computer or a phone.
When Michael plays the video he found, he discovers that it captures a heated argument between him and Chris from earlier. Chris believes it was a prank, claiming someone secretly filmed them from outside through the window. However, Michael dismisses this theory, noting that there are no reflections or shadows in the video, suggesting it was recorded from inside the house without their knowledge, which seems impossible.
Written by Justin Benson and co-directed by Benson and Aaron Moorhead, RESOLUTION is a horror film that seamlessly blends elements of thriller and psychological tension, leaving the viewers questioning whether what they see is reality or a narrative pieced together from their own perceptions. Although the pacing in the middle can feel a bit slow, the twist at the end is memorable and impactful.
RESOLUTION premiered at Tribeca Film Festival on 20 April 2012. The film received a limited theatrical release in the United States on 23 January 2013.
