A movie where Christopher Abbott and Margaret Qualley spend the night together in a hotel sounds romantic, but Sanctuary is closer to Halloween than it is Before Sunrise.
Director Zachary Wigon’s thriller follows a dominatrix named Rebecca (played by Qualley, so good in The Leftovers, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and Maid) and her client, Hal (Abbott), as “they engage in a high stakes role playing game for power and control,” according to indie distributor Neon.
Their dominatrix-client privilege gets tested, however, when Hal informs Rebecca that her services will no longer be needed. He has a new fancy CEO job, and it’s “not a good idea to keep doing this,” he tells her. “Hal, your new job, you wouldn’t be able to do it without what I taught you,” Rebecca contends, leading to an intense night of searching for hidden cameras, shifting power dynamics, and accusations of being a “f*cking nutjob.”
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In the wake of inheriting his father’s hotel chain, Hal attempts to end his long and secret relationship with Rebecca. A battle of wills ensues over the course of one incredibly fraught night, with both Rebecca and Hal struggling to keep the upper hand as the power dynamics swing wildly back and forth.
Sanctuary opens in theaters on May 25.