Written by: Micah Bloomberg
Starring: Margaret Qualley & Christopher Abbott
Rating: [4/5]
Various sexual kinks and fetishes exist out there and in turn individuals who can help with the satisfaction of that desire, especially if one has the necessary funds to pay for it. Sanctuary begins with this in mind and further expands its limited-setting narrative and turns into something that has you questioning equality and enthralling with this magnificent duo in front of the camera.
At an upscale hotel, Hal (Christopher Abbott) orders room service as he begins an interview to ensure his ascension to CEO at his father’s company. His interviewer, Rebecca (Margaret Qualley) begins to ask him questions outside what one would deem appropriate for the position, which begins to drop hints that perhaps this interview may be a disguise for something much more sexual.
The impacts of COVID-19 on the film industry made it understandably difficult to shoot expansive films with various actors and extras involved. It forced more careful and concise work by those, which often led to self-contained stories that take place perhaps in a singular setting. These limitations put extra pressure not only on the screenplay to contain sharpness, but also the actors to more of the heavy lifting and calls upon the director to block out each scene enough to bring some dynamism where a changing the location is not possible. It allows a film like Sanctuary to stand out amongst the rest with its delectable plot that keeps us on our toes from beginning to end.
The twists and turns offered through this offer various ways to interpret what sits in reality and what continues to sit within the confines of this game of power dynamics. What initially has the appearance of an interview turns into a sexual role play where Rebecca gives Hal exactly what he wants with his humiliation fetish. With each passing line the reveal of what this transactional relationship serves for both of them, which makes it particularly difficult to fully delve into without spoiling where things do between these two. While these reveals deliver some well-deserved shocks, the more fascinating shift occurs with the way the power dynamic between these two characters continually shift throughout this conversation that continually goes back and forth between them within this luxury hotel room.
Hal and Rebecca initially begin with the latter holding all the power in her role as a dominatrix, but as reality begins to bend back into shape, we see who holds the power between the two, and it does not necessarily stay static with each phase of how the narrative plays out. We begin to question whether Hal will actually ascend into this CEO position as the role play insinuated, and how exactly Rebecca plays into it all with her true identity.
With this serving as a two-hander of two actors, it makes sense to speak on how they managed to continually make this an engrossing experience. Christopher Abbott continues to prove himself as an actor who will captivate whenever he appears on-screen, and he does so once again here. He’s never afraid to step into a role where can display some vulnerability, and we see that in the way Hal puts himself in a position where Rebecca completely controls the situation, and he pulls it off so well unsurprisingly. However, the one in completely control of this narrative is the best current nepo baby in the game in Margaret Qualley. She continually inserts herself into such fascinating projects and proves herself absolutely magnetic in every single one of them. The way she seduces not only Hal but also the audience through her performance as Rebecca was absolutely wondrous. Qualley flips the script on multiple occasions on us as she remains the wild card. Entering the story as a dominatrix and then shifting in her place throughout allows her to completely flex her range as Rebecca, and she commands the screen in such an impressive manner. She quickly has presented herself as a talent and someone whose subsequent projects we cannot miss because at the very least we can count on her delivering something engrossing as she does here and pretty much everything she has attached her name to.
Sanctuary exists as a real treat and something to behold in how it takes such a limited setting and becomes something that keeps us locked in the entire time. There are some moments where the believability of them staying within this room for so long does begin to wane but the way these characters and their dynamics change with such fluidity it allows for a suspension of disbelief purely because we need to know whatever will happen next and ultimately how this entire seductive tale will ultimately conclude. Truly a splendidly crafted feature film and one that rewards those willing to go on this twisted little ride.
Films with Josh 
