Sanctuary

Rarely more than a filmed play, Zachary Wigon’s Sanctuary inspires compelling performances from Christopher Abbott and Margaret Qualley, whose facial reactions nonetheless carry greater depth and intensity in closeups than a live staging of this two-hander would likely muster.

Centering on Hal (Abbott), the heir to a hotel empire on the eve of taking over the company for his late father, a mature step that convinces him he needs to part ways with his dominatrix Rebecca (Qualley), the script by Micah Bloomberg (he of the excellent but quickly forgotten sci-fi/drama Creative Control) is a short film at heart that stretches its meager erotic thriller conflicts to their breaking points.

After presenting the pair’s fascinating dynamic in full, messy force, Sanctuary cheaply resorts to Rebecca blackmailing Hal in order to continue their professional relationship — threats that may or may not have merit, but which are enacted in laughably improvised fashion that feel false even considering her particular hold over Hal.

Wigon captures it all via bland, flat visuals, and just when viewers wish the whole damn thing was just a hotel room set in an off-Broadway theater, the director somewhat cynically employs a dramatic camera movement at a key moment, winning over skeptics — at least momentarily.

Though there’s some inherent intrigue in the cat-and-mouse game between the two characters, Sanctuary would be significantly less engaging without Qualley’s handful of unhinged moments, during which she resembles the deranged, youthful version of her mother, Andie MacDowell, that we never really got to see onscreen during the latter’s prime.

Despite these few perks, Sanctuary devolves into a tumble of bad behavior, much of it ridiculous and poorly written, yet achieves something resembling brilliance in the film’s final scene as an unexpected yet largely sensible resolution is reached. The recovery is admirable and suggests the filmmakers are capable of great things, but it’s not enough to warrant a recommendation for the preceding 90 minutes.

Grade: C-plus. Rated R. Now playing at the Fine Arts Theatre

(Photo: Neon)