Sanctuary

Sanctuary is the disintegration of not only a relationship but sanity confined to a single hotel room unleashing a fantasy world of lust and humiliation through melodic dialogue and hypnotic visuals. 

Sanctuary follows a hotel franchise heir, Hal (Christopher Abbott), as he lets go of his dominatrix, Rebecca (Margaret Qualley). Hal is about to take on the title of CEO after his father’s death meaning Rebecca’s work is done, but she won’t accept this outcome. She is good at what she does and it is her work that has made Hal the person he has become to take on the CEO role. If Hal was a company she is a majority stakeholder and must do anything she can to convince him to keep their relationship. 

In its first few minutes, the film lets the audience know not to hold onto their expectations. Hal is introduced as a man who enjoys humiliation through role-playing scripts he has written himself. They are so specific and perfectly memorized by him and his dominatrix that by its conclusion it leaves the audience perplexed that he planned out every single moment unfolding. This leaves the rest of the film in a gray space of reality or fantasy as both protagonists get so deranged they are waiting for someone to speak a safe word to signal that this is just a script for one big game. It turns it into an active watch for the audience to constantly be on the edge of their seat in anticipation. 

Positioning these two characters against one another allows for the exploration of multiple themes ranging from gender, power, and class. Hal was born into being an heir to a major company whereas Rebecca needs her relationship with Hal in order to survive. She needs a feasible job. While Hal is in a position of power he still needs Rebecca to control his life outside of a setting where he leads. They are both dependent on one another which makes their relationship work. The film goes one place further in its demonstration of power by having a man like Hal breaking it off with Rebeca only to realize he holds none when he places her in survival mode.  

Rebecca weaponizes intimate knowledge about Hal to gain back power to trap him in her web. This leads to hours upon hours of negotiations between the two that expose how Hal may lack material power due to his status but lacks use in comparison to Rebecca who is powerless in her status but at this moment is in command of the game. She is able to dominate the hotel heir both sexually and through her intellect in order to achieve monetary value.  

Sanctuary feels like a philosophy assignment with its never-ending open questions that will be sure to stick with any couples who decide to watch it together. It puts a transactional relationship through a kinky experiment. There is no objective to make you side with either character but to think of it in terms of a game and if either of them actually won. They have created a literal sanctuary where they can unleash their deepest vulnerabilities to one another. Hurling insults that hit the jugular at one another is not meant to be cruel but to show how these two people truly understand one another. With the stakes raised extremely high they are using everything they can to gain power over the other which is satisfying to watch. The relationship has entered a murky territory where there can be no clear winner. 

Any actor taking on this role has the challenge of holding attention for the entire runtime as well as having chemistry with their partner. Christopher Abbott and Margaret Qualley prove to be the best people for the job. Abbott perfectly displays a fearful man who also loves to be controlled. Qualley is electric putting on an acting masterclass that never feels like she is doing too much. She is constantly calculating every move while maintaining a domineering persona. These are performances that require so much of it actors in one setting where Abbott and Qualley use movement to communicate their motives. Insanity is flowing in every ounce of their bodies matched with velvet cinematography and a void-like soundscape. 

Sanctuary is a stimulating, toxic mind game that is irresistible to the human eye.