‘Resurrection’ Trailer: Rebecca Hall Freaks Out in the Wild Thriller That Shook Sundance

Hall is terrorized by Tim Roth in the Sundance horror out August 5 from IFC Films.

This year’s Sundance Film Festival was heavy on genre fare, with plenty of horror flicks and thrillers dominating the lineup and winning some of its biggest awards. A common theme was bold filmmakers elevating once-pulpy genres into high art, and Andrew Semans is no exception. His latest film, “Resurrection,” earned strong reviews for taking a premise that has been explored in countless generic thrillers and turning it into something truly unique.

“Resurrection” tells the story of a woman (played by Rebecca Hall) who finds her normal existence disrupted when a man from her past suddenly reemerges in her life. As the dark details of their past relationship begin to emerge, her life starts to unravel in ways she never could have expected.

While that description could apply to any number of basic cable thrillers, the film won critics over by gradually devolving into something much more unhinged that needs to be seen to be fully understood. Semans’ ability to blend genres and styles captivated audiences at Sundance and led IFC Films and Shudder to acquire the movie.

“Resurrection” was written and directed by Andrew Semans, his second effort behind the camera after his 2012 Tribeca hit “Nancy, Please.” In addition to Hall and Roth, the film stars Grace Kaufman, Michael Esper, Angela Wong Carbone, Josh Drennen, Rosemary Howard, and Winsome Brown.

In his Sundance review, IndieWire’s David Ehrlich wrote that “at the risk of overstating the extent to which ‘Resurrection’ transcends the guilty pleasures of a typical thriller — or suggesting that its subdued direction is really a galaxy brain meta-commentary on the limits of control — Semans’ film stands out for how purposefully it seems to walk the line between schlocky crap and serious cinema. A more rigid or hyper-stylized movie would have worked against Margaret’s powerlessness, while a sloppier one would have distracted from the desperation of her grip. In art, as in our own minds, there is only so much that is in our ability to determine; in ‘Resurrection,’ the need for absolute control is nothing short of a death trap.”

“Resurrection” will be released August 5 in theaters and on VOD ahead of a streaming premiere on Shudder. You can watch the trailer below.