The dark comedy thriller is Wigon’s second film as a director. His first was “The Heart Machine,” a love thriller from 2014 that was based on his own 2012 short, “Someone Else’s Heart.” John Gallagher, Jr. It was first shown at the SXSW event in 2014. When it came out, it got great reviews, and Rotten Tomatoes still gives it a 95 out of 100.
After nine years, Wigon is back with a movie that looks just as good as his first one. In September 2021, Sanctuary was first talked about. Most of the movie was shot in New York City. Wigon wrote his first movie, Sanctuary, himself. For his second movie, he hired author Micah Bloomberg. In September 2022, Sanctuary was shown for the first time at the famous Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Continue reading Sanctuary Movie Review to learn more about the film. The movie is also available on yesmovies for free to watch.
Summary
Hal is the owner of a hotel business with more than 100 locations. His father died recently, which has added at least $185 million to his wealth. Rebecca, on the other hand, could ruin all of his plans. He has been using a dominatrix for who knows how long, and she doesn’t take being kicked out well. She is even willing to use every trick, memory game, and psychological mind game she needs to get what she thinks she deserves.
Review: Story
Wigon takes his time to let the audience know what’s really going on in “Sanctuary.” His slow and steady way of figuring out what’s going on makes the movie work, even though it could have been a scary mystery. Wigon isn’t interested in plot twists and cheap thrills. Instead, he cares about what his characters do and why, as well as their fears and wants.
Review: Star Performance
Abbott gives the kind of intense performance we’ve come to expect from the actor, who reminds us of a young Al Pacino. The actor is drawn to dark parts in independent films. He recently gave one of his best performances in Jerrod Carmichael’s “On the Count of Three.” “Sanctuary” gives him another chance to work in a space where he feels oddly at home. Qualley is the movie’s lightning rod, and she keeps getting better and better as an actress. Her Emmy-nominated part in Netflix’s “Maid” is sad in every episode. In “Sanctuary,” she is both tough and weak. Her performance gives Abbott’s dark character more subtlety than the story calls for.
Review: Visual Effects
The movie mostly takes place in the hotel room where Hal and Rebecca meet, but it also goes into halls and lifts on occasion. The small set and cast make it seem like the movie was made during the COVID era, but it uses its small spaces well. It’s easy to think of a movie with only one set as a “filmed play,” but Wigon takes that simple idea to a higher level. His camera moves easily and is always moving, which gives the movie a fast pace even though it takes a long time to happen. It fits a story where nothing (or no one) is what it seems to be.
Final Word
So, Sanctuary has sex, but it’s not about sex, and it’s not dirty. I’d say that, as much as it’s a psychological drama, it’s also a love comedy, with all the hurdles to the “will they or won’t they” question. In fact, it’s about the kind of love story that everyone deserves: one where you know someone really loves you because you’ve shown them everything about yourself that you’ve been afraid to show other people, and they still love you.
