Film Review: SANCTUARY (2022): Margaret Qualley Runs the Show in Zachary Wigon’s Intriguing Dark Comedic Thriller

Sanctuary Review

Sanctuary (2022) Film Review, a movie directed by Zachary Wigon, written by Micah Bloomberg and starring Margaret Qualley and Christopher Abbott.

Filmmaker Zachary Wigon’s film, Sanctuary, mostly focuses on a wealthy man named Hal (Christopher Abbott)’s negotiations with his dominatrix, Rebecca (Margaret Qualley). This is the type of movie which stays in one location for the duration of its running time. Think something like 1996’s Bound, only a bit different in terms of its characterizations. Sanctuary has as much suspense as Bound and is just as unpredictable, if not quite as great. This new picture is driven by Margaret Qualley’s Oscar-nomination worthy performance in which the actress leaves her mark as an actress to contend with in Hollywood. She’s Andie MacDowell’s daughter and another title for Sanctuary could have been the title of one of Andie MacDowell’s early films, Sex, Lies, and Videotape. There’s sex, lies and a recording that holds the key to the movie’s plot in Sanctuary and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Hal stands to inherit a hotel empire which makes Rebecca want to have a piece of the action. But, wait…I’m getting ahead of myself. The film opens with a blonde (Qualley) showing up at a hotel room to screen Hal for a CEO position. She asks questions to Hal about his sex life, including those on what age he was when he lost his virginity and what sexually transmitted diseases he may have acquired. The movie starts in a confusing way because we don’t understand the whole dynamic of Hal and Rebecca’s relationship but, soon, everything comes into focus.

Rebecca specializes in BDSM and during the course of her unusual interaction with Hal, we learn that she wants a piece of his wealth and won’t walk away from him as he requests her to without getting some major cash from him–$6 million. Rebecca is also really a brunette. The movie is a bit like a chess game between these two as they fight for what they want. Things get really heavy-handed. There’s passionate sex between them at one point where Rebecca tells Hal she’s ovulating and wants to have his baby. In close up, Rebecca goes ahead and tells Hal when he should have his orgasm. Yeah, this movie is very unusual and offbeat, to say the least.

Sanctuary is mostly a mindf-ck for its audience but it’s extraordinarily acted, especially by Qualley. Abbott is good as he pressures Rebecca to give up the video she has recorded on her phone which helps drive the story. At one point, Hal threatens to kill Rebecca if she doesn’t shut up and stop lying to him. But, who is telling the truth here? It seems Hal is most of the time while Rebecca could be. It’s hard to decipher. She is about to walk away from Hal when she decides she wants him to also give her a job because she says she’s not officially working anymore. Rebecca wants Hal to get those millions of dollars over to her but she wants more than that, especially when Hal makes the point that Rebecca may never actually go away and could keep coming back for more money if he gives into her demands.

Micah Bloomberg wrote Sanctuary and it’s a triumph in the screenwriting department. The dialogue that comes out of Qualley’s mouth is fascinating to listen to and while it’s easy to give Qualley all the credit for her masterful performance, it’s pivotal to also give accolades to Bloomberg who makes Qualley’s superlative performance possible. Abbott holds his own beside her. In one scene, Rebecca tries to guide Hal to where a camera is in the hotel room by playing “hot and cold” as Hal tries to locate it. This scene is where Abbott’s intensity comes into play and we feel riveted by his desperation as he tries to defeat Rebecca at the seemingly wicked game she is playing.

There’s genuine tension in Sanctuary that will have you guessing which way the twisty story will turn next. The movie throws in some plot twists willy-nilly but, still, it’s a tense, darkly comedic good time. Qualley is the glue that holds it all together. She is distinct and neurotic but seems dead-serious in the propositions she makes towards Hal. You won’t know what direction the script is headed in but you’ll stick with the film every step of the way.

Although I wasn’t particularly fond of the film’s very last scene, Sanctuary is a distinguished accomplishment for the display of acting which is on screen throughout. “Sanctuary” is the safe word that Hal must use when the dominatrix Rebecca goes too far. As played by Qualley, there’s no turning back for Rebecca as she goes after what she wants from Hal and he, in turn, tries to stop her in her tracks.

Sanctuary is not on the level of the brilliant Bound but is the type of film which could, similarly to that previous movie, find an audience appreciative of its “film noir” like qualities. They didn’t quite make movies like the sexually explicit Sanctuary during the time film noir was most popular, though, and the ending of the new movie kind of pulls the rug from everything we’ve witnessed during the course of the movie as well. Sanctuary is nevertheless a unique film-going experience that will leave you wondering who to root for as the picture plays its hand of cards in such a way that it will comes up aces for most audiences.

Rating: 8/10

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