7/10 (IMDB)

Sanctuary

1h 36m Drama | Comedy | Thriller
Sanctuary
Sanctuary

About

A wickedly dark comedy follows dominatrix, Rebecca (Emmy Award® nominee Margaret Qualley), and her wealthy client, Hal (Christopher Abbott), as they engage in a high stakes role playing game for power and control. When Hal tries to end their relationship, disaster unfolds over the course of a single night in a hotel room.

Director

Zachary Wigon

Cast

Christopher Abbott, Margaret Qualley

Rating

R

Year

2023

Country

United States

Language

English


Main Trailer


Reviews

  • "Margaret Qualley and Christopher Abbott make an exceptionally good team here, in a film that requires a deep sexual chemistry but keeps sex itself almost entirely out of the picture. Careening from one kind of intensity to another, the encounter excites without prurience and, like the transactions it depicts, is more concerned with psychology than sex in any case."
    - The Hollywood Reporter
  • "There’s no way to get a total read on what Qualley’s protagonist is up to, which turns out to be the primary thrill of this snapshot of personal, professional, and class warfare."
    - The Daily Beast
  • "This is a terrifically nasty thriller about seizing control, over others and over oneself. Wigon proves to have a great grasp on it, as well; his assuredness is half of the film’s success."
    - Variety
  • "It is a character study that creeps up on you, deploying well-timed darker comedic moments that set up the cutting dramatic ones all the better. There is no pretentiousness or ego to either of the stunning performances, ensuring we are hit with the maximum impact of a maniacal masterclass of acting from Abbott and Qualley."
    - Colliderx
  • "Christopher Abbott and Margaret Qualley sizzle on screen together. They keep SANCTUARY fun, suspenseful, and arousing, down to the perfectly delivered last line."
    - That Shelf
  • "What makes SANCTUARY such a salaciously enjoyable slice of snack-sized fun is how it argues that some people have more to give than they would ever know without the right person to take it from them."
    - indieWire
  • "Wigon’s sleek, seductive drama — as contained and actor-driven as a stage play, though shot so expressively that it could only be cinema — breaks down this pairing just to build it back up from scratch, testing the viability of a connection rooted in guarded performance as it crawls on all fours toward a more open, authentic intimacy."
    - The Playlist

Festivals

  • Toronto Int'l Film Festival
  • Leiden Int´l Film Festival
  • Rome Film Festival
  • Glasgow Film Festival
  • Miami Film Festival
  • NOAM Faenza Film Festival