Hal (Christopher Abbott) is a rich dude who regularly sees a sexy dominatrix named Rebecca (Margaret Qualley) to help get his rocks off. When he learns he’s going to take over his father’s company, he tries to break off their arrangement. Not one to be brushed aside, Rebecca comes back at him with both barrels. Thus begins a cat and mouse battle of wits, submission, and dominance.
Qualley is smoking hot in this. My favorite scene comes when she makes Abbott get down on his hands and knees and clean the bathroom floor. While she remains fully clothed at all times, the stimulation she creates is more mental than physical, and seeing her assert herself over the weak-willed Abbott is a lot of fun. This is easily one of her best performances. While I haven’t been impressed by Abbott in the past (he made for a wimpy Wolf Man), his blank expression and nominal screen presence really helps to sell his sad sack submissive character.
Sanctuary is a chamber piece with two characters in one location. When you have Qualley playing a dominatrix that’s all you really need. What’s interesting is how the power dynamic shifts throughout the movie. The first act is essentially their (no contact) sex game. Afterwards, Abbott tries to buy her off with a fancy watch and tells her not to contact him again. Knowing her worth, Qualley begins to negotiate a sum that reflects her true value. It’s like the dude is okay with being submissive in the bedroom, but when it comes to the real world, he tries to alpha her using his wealth and position and she isn’t having any of it. Ultimately, it’s a metaphor for equal gender pay.
However, the third act is when things really sizzle as it’s here where the film begins to dig deeper and finds what’s really at the center of Abbott’s troubles. Most S & M dramas are content to deal with the superficial allure of the lifestyle and be done with it. Because Sanctuary has the heart to explore the characters’ psychological underpinnings, it makes it much more complex and compelling.
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