paulclaassen If you're a Benson/Moorhead fan, its best to watch this film first. I watched the duo's latest film 'The Endless' before this film, but the two interlink (although The Endless is not a sequel). They share the same universe, and the characters from 'The Endless' interact with characters from 'Resolution'. It might sound confusing, but I assure you it is not. I did, however, feel 'The Endless' was a huge improvement on this film, and see it more as a remake with a lot more detail, and a much clearer view of what is actually going on. 'Resolution' is much less detailed but and leaves a lot to your imagination, but be warned, this film also has some very freaky moments!

Lloyd Bayer If you've ever seen photographic film being developed, you will agree that it's a slow but painstaking process. And no matter how many photos you've developed that way, it's always rewarding when you see the picture emerging into existence. Resolution works the same way, only here the real picture emerges well after you've seen the film. And then it continues to play on your mind by taunting you into reassessing what you've just seen, over and over again.Just like various chemicals used to develop film, there are several catalysts at work in this multi-layered but slow cooking pot boiler. Distributed as a horror-mystery thriller, none of this is remotely apparent when we are first introduced to lead characters Mike (Peter Cilella) and Chris (Vinny Curran). They are best friends and over time we get to know them fairly well. What's apparent is that Chris is a meth addict and Mike wants to save his friend by forcefully inducing withdrawal through cold turkey. Holed up in a depilated shack in the middle of nowhere, Chris is bitter about it but Mike is patient and persistent. Their bickering goes on for a while, sometimes funny, sometimes drab, until you feel it playing out like a pretentious 'friend in need' story. You, the viewer, can be forgiven for thinking this is getting all too boring. You want more drama, peril, action. You keep wondering why the filmmakers said this film is a horror thriller. And just then it starts - things go from bad to worse between Mike and Chris as they are unwittingly drawn into a situation that is not only dangerous, but gets weirder and weirder by the minute."It's an unusual story with a beginning, middle and end", a key character tells Mike when he goes looking for answers. This is a pivotal moment in the film that reveals a major clue and one that will come in handy by the time we get to the seemingly absurd ending. But Mike doesn't get it, and if you've not been paying attention, neither will you as the viewer. It's not that Resolution tries to be a film meant for rocket scientists, or prides itself as a mind-bender. For a low budget indie horror film, the concept is not only off-the-beaten-path, but one that requires literally thinking outside the box to fully appreciate its making. If I were to compare, directors Justin Benson (also the scriptwriter) and Aaron Moorhead uses a ploy similar to the one that got The Cabin in the Woods a lot of mixed reactions. Viewers of that film either loved it or hated it. Cut from the same cloth, the concept here is fresh and astoundingly visceral, two qualities that are hard to come by in contemporary horror cinema. But if horror cinema has a new sub-genre, then this is the film to have created it and along with it, a new monster you'll never see during the film. Figuring out who or what that monster is, is undeniably what sets this film apart with a euphoric high.

MattBirk Oddly enough, Resolution might be the least 'horror-esque' movie I have seen in a very long time, it's labeled by many as a horror movie but I think the mystery/drama genre would suit it better. But whatever genre you want to label it under one thing is for sure, it's meta. At first the movie seems like a slow drama about two friends rekindling their friendship, but then the movie slowly starts transitioning into a surreal nightmare where nothing is what it seems.Resolution works because the two characters in the movie are extremely likable (not the mention the acting between the two being fantastic). This is the main storyline, one friend helping another get past his drug addiction with nothing but brute force. But at the same time Resolution slowly rolls out another more 'meta' storyline that slowly builds alongside the main narrative. As the movie progresses, the horror-esque story line gets larger & larger and much creepier, to the point where it takes over as the main story. Once this happens, the movie moves into the horror genre and things start to get very weird very fast.It's this process of building two stories together that makes Resolution so original and engrossing. We start out with the story that sucks the viewer in with its warm-hearted intentions and then starts to throw us curveballs with its more cryptic storyline which allows the tension to rise and paranoia set in. Everything in Resolution works, the comedy hits, the friendship is authentic, it's unpredictable in the best possible way and the movie leaves you with a lasting thought.If you're someone who enjoys a good mystery with a dash of horror, Resolution is something you should seek out!

bruyve For a movie where not a great deal happens, I found Resolution an engaging effort. The acting from the main protagonists is compelling, the ambiance suitably unsettling, and odd characters come and go a la "Twin Peaks". Creating a claustrophobic and surreal environment, there was perhaps potential for something rather more than was realised.In truth this is not a horror movie in the modern, conventional sense. There is no gore, no monster, no torture porn. Yet there are moments that are genuinely creepy, and you do at least care about the characters unlike in most horrors of the stalk-and-slash variety.The ending will divide opinion, and nothing is given away here about the somewhat unsatisfying final scenes. Perhaps all will be resolved in a sequel ...