“Resolution Is The Best Mumblecore Horror Movie Ever Made”

Resolution was the movie that introduced me to Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (Spring), so to speak.  I’ve re-watched it recently, and have been looking for a way to describe it as briefly as possible.

And I think I have it: Resolution is the best mumblecore horror movie ever made (and I mean that–mostly–as a complement).

Typically ‘mumblecore’ referes to music that has almost ambient qualities, accompanied by vocals that tend to lack clarity.

That’s an apt description as any because the movie doesn’t spoon-feed you anything.  It gives you a few options to explain why events are unfolding, though it doesn’t hew too closely to any particular explanation, leaving the viewer to decide if any–or none–are the least bit accurate.

Clearly something is spoon-feeding Michael Danube (Chris Cilella) clues to events that happened in the past of the house where he and Chris Daniels (Vinny Curran) are squatting, but what’s the movie never tells you is why (My money is on the Wendigo).

Personally I don’t mind the speculative quality of the movie, though it does take a bit of getting used to.

One of the many things the movie deserves kudos for is its atmosphere.  Things feel almost claustrophobic (which probably has lot to do with it taking place in a single room), and the sense that things are moving quickly toward a very bad place is very apparent, though the question is whether it actually arrives, and you haven’t wasted your time waiting for a train that just isn’t coming.

Resolution is currently on Netflix, so be careful during your next intervention because It knows you better than you know you.