Movies
[Tribeca ’12] A Look At ‘Resolution’, A Film That Defies Genre Classification
Rat King, Replicas… with Tribeca horror features, it’s usually pretty difficult to get a full flavor of what the films will be like, as they are often world premieres or shrouded in some sort of secrecy. That being said, there is still one film on my radar that I’m looking forward to covering for sure, and that is Resolution, directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Scott Moorhead.
“Michael is committed to getting his best friend Chris to sober up and put his life back on track. But what begins as an attempt to save his friend’s life quickly takes an unexpected turn as the two friends confront personal demons, the consequences of past actions, and forces beyond their control. Expertly balancing dark humor, heart, and thrills, Resolution is an utterly unique cinematic experience that defies genre classification.”
The drug dealer violence / detox slant looks like it makes for some good tension, but with the synopsis saying that it defied genre classification – I got wary as to whether or not this was something BD viewers would want within their horror realm. I contacted newcomer Justin Benson and asked him what we might expect. 
“While the “defies genre classification” part is accurate, we also proudly embrace that we are “a horror movie.” Even though Resolution is not an homage to anything in particular, and every decision we made went toward making something we’d never seen before, there is one horror movie tradition we firmly stuck to: making the smartest, funniest, creepiest movie we could make, with whatever resources we could scrounge up.”
Justin went on to mention how he reads Bloody-Disgusting every morning while he has his coffee, so I asked him where his blood roots were embedded.
“There are so many amazing films across the broad spectrum of horror that we admire. Actually the list of horror films we love is massive and gets pretty obscure. That being said, in the making of ‘Resolution’ we respectfully tried to make something all our own. Horror is the most intelligent, inventive and diverse genre in film making, and we worked hard at every stage of the movie to make sure we lived up to that under appreciated tradition.”
Justin Benson has written, directed, and worked just about every odd job in the film industry. He has directed several short films and commercials. Resolution is his first feature. Aaron Moorhead directed his first feature at only 19 years old. He has worked as a cinematographer, director, VFX artist, and colorist, and has shot several indie features, shorts, and commercials.
Resolution makes its world premiere at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival this April 20th in New York City.
The wellness industry gets turned upside down in a blood-soaked cultural reckoning in the teaser for Namaslay.
The genre-bending horror satire that “reclaims the spirit of masala cinema while skewering the commercialization and appropriation of yoga in the West” releases in NYC/LA theaters on August 6 before expanding nationwide on August 13.
In Namaslay, “After arriving in Los Angeles, Gayatri accepts an invitation from her friend Judy to try an upscale yoga studio she’s been dying to attend. When the owner, Reyna, offers Gayatri a chance to join her instructor training program, Gayatri decides to look past the obvious eccentricities and accept the job. As she reconnects with the practice of Yoga she first learned from her grandmother, Gayatri is eventually asked to attend the prestigious instructor’s retreat, where she discovers the ulterior nature of her invitation.”
Starring in the film are Kirunthuja Srikanth-Talim, Angela Sant’Albano, Alicia Mitchell-Mangual, with Usha Krishnan and Christina Moore.
Namaslay is written by Rish and Kanish (Rish Arhant-Sudhir and Kanish Arhant-Sudhir).
The film marks the first feature project from Junghal Studios, an independent production company founded by the directing duo in 2019. With the new label, Rish and Kanish are building a slate of ambitious masala event films inspired by artistic traditions from around the world.
For the uninitiated, Masala films rose to prominence in the ’70s and blend a variety of unlikely genres; they’re also often musicals.
The first chapter in Junghal Studios’ mission, Namaslay, blends horror, satire, and the maximalist energy of masala cinema in its first teaser and poster below.
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