A Resurrection (film)
A Resurrection (also titled The Sibling) is an American horror-thriller film written and directed by Matt Orlando. The film stars Mischa Barton, Michael Clarke Duncan and Devon Sawa.[2] On 12 November 2012 a trailer was released.[3] The film premiered in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles on 19 March 2013. This was followed by a limited theatrical release in the United States on 22 March 2013.[4]
| A Resurrection | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Matt Orlando |
| Produced by | Philip Glasser Brian Hartman Aaron Levine Amanda Jane McBridge Mischa Barton[1] |
| Written by | Matt Orlando |
| Starring | Mischa Barton Michael Clarke Duncan Devon Sawa |
| Cinematography | Jeff Garton |
| Edited by | Ken Conrad |
Release date |
|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $5 million |
| Box office | $10,730 |
Plot
Set during a single day and night at a high school, Jessie (Barton), a guidance counselor, Addison (Duncan), the school principal and local police officer, Travis (Sawa) are the central characters of a "whodunit" as murder sweeps the school.[5] Jessie attempts to help a mentally disturbed student, Eli, who is convinced that his dead brother will return and seek vengeance against the high school students that played a part in his death.[4] His brother was killed after being run-over in a car allegedly driven by the group of high school students. Eli takes his brother's body to a witch who implants a spirit in the corpse. The witch informs Eli that his brother's spirit will rise after six days and will only rest again after committing six murders.[6]
Cast
- Devon Sawa as Travis
- Mischa Barton as Jessie
- Michael Clarke Duncan as Addison
- J. Michael Trautmann as Eli
- Stuart Stone as Nick
- Nick Jandl as Brandon
- Matt Willig as Vince
- Alanna Romansky as Tammy
- Morgan Wolk as Dian
- Brenden Meers as Alex
- Annie Kitral as The Bruja
- Patrick de Ledebur as Devon
- Jason McCune as Sheriff Kent
- Alonzo Jimenez as A Farmer
Production
The film shot for 20 days, mainly at the former Knoxville Middle School in Pittsburgh.[7]
During post-production, the film's co-star, Michael Clarke Duncan, died of a heart attack.[8]
Certain scenes evoke comparisons with the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting which took place during post-production. Orlando acknowledged this; “As we were making it, Sandy Hook did not happen yet. Do I think I have a responsibility in the entertainment business to think about that? Yes, I do.”[9]
Reception
The film was reviewed positively by the horror-genre specialist website, Shock Till You Drop. Tyler Doupe praised the cast's performances; ″Sawa turned in a good performance, as Travis. And Mischa Barton successfully broke the mold of the roles we’ve seen her play time and again. The late Michael Clark Duncan was excellent as the high school principal.″ Doupe also praised the resourceful use of the low budget, noting that ″The film feels like a movie that was made for a lot more money than what was actually spent...It takes true creativity to stretch a micro budget into anything more than that, and Matt Orlando stretched his budget very effectively.″ Doupe also commented that ″A Resurrection did a good job of leaving certain aspects of the film up to the viewer to figure out. We are not spoon fed every detail and audiences appreciate that. We respect filmmakers that trust their viewers to put the pieces together themselves.″ He continued; ″the premise is primarily unique. I like the way that Matt Orlando's script mixed reality with aspects of occult spirituality and kept the viewer wondering how the two were ultimately going to work together.″[10]
Legacy
Issues surrounding the production of this film would ultimately make a major impact in an unexpected area—college basketball. Pittsburgh-based financial adviser Marty Blazer used money from some of his clients, which included professional athletes, to help finance the film. The Securities and Exchange Commission alleged that he had defrauded five clients out of $2.35 million in order to fund this film and other entertainment projects. Facing federal criminal charges stemming from this episode, he became an FBI informant in a major investigation of corruption in college basketball. The first wave of indictments stemming from this investigation were announced in fall 2017, and by March 2018 more than 35 NCAA Division I men's programs were potentially implicated in NCAA rules violations.[11]
References
- Interview; Mischa Barton Talks a Resurrection Archived 2014-07-28 at the Wayback Machine Yahoo Voices. 28 March 2013
- Life after 'The OC': Find out what Ryan, Marissa, Luke, and Anna are up to now Entertainment Weekly. 7 March 2013
- New Trailer For THE SIBLING, Now Titled RESURRECTION! Filmofilia. 12 November 2012
- Archstone Reveals Trailer for A Resurrection Shock Till You Drop. 26 February 2013
- Wilkinsburg native producing star-studded 'Sibling' in Pittsburgh Archived 2010-12-13 at the Wayback Machine Pittsburgh Tribune Review. 8 December 2010
- 'A Resurrection': Mischa Barton describes working with the late Michael Clarke Duncan -- EXCLUSIVE VIDEO Entertainment Weekly. 22 March 2013
- Star-Studded Movie 'Sibling' shoots in Pittsburgh Archived January 20, 2011, at the Wayback Machine WXPI. 5 January 2011
- Exclusive Stills for Matt Orlando's A Resurrection Dread Central. 28 February 2013
- Whatever Happened to ‘The O.C.’ Star Mischa Barton? Daily Beast. 26 March 2013
- Review: A Resurrection Shock Till You Drop. 17 March 2013
- Lavigne, Paula (March 14, 2018). "How one man's Hollywood flop set off NCAA basketball's biggest scandal". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 16, 2018.