Resentment Review | A Layered Drama That Slowly Gets Under Your Skin

Resentment 
Cast: Lawrence Gilliard, Jr, Patch Darragh, Jen Ponton, Sedly Bloomfield
Critic's Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Director: Noah Millman
Duration: 1h 21m
Genre: Drama
Language: English
Release Details: TVOD Release Date: August 14, 2026 - Amazon & Fandango at Home

What's it about?

Two old pals spar over a film and past relationships at a Brooklyn bar, but what begins as a simple catch-up between friends gradually turns into a drunken spillover of emotions, secrets and unfulfilled desires.

Review

Most verbose dramas can be either interesting or grossly boring — there is no in-between. Thankfully, writer-director Noah Millman’s Resentment falls in the former category. This film, set entirely in a bar, starts off slow and maintains a consistent pace as we are introduced to two of the three main characters. David (Patch Darragh) and Coleman (Lawrence Gilliard Jr.) are old best friends. David is a talented yet now struggling film editor, while Coleman, a hotshot Wall Street wizard, has just made a film. He has entrusted David with editing his film, but what initially looks like one friend helping another slowly takes a dramatic turn, revealing just how flawed, depraved and messed up their past, present and perhaps even their future really is. Telling you any less cryptically about the story would mean giving away spoilers and ruining your experience of discovering a layered drama about flawed yet remarkably real characters.

Resentment demands your attention. Yes, it is verbose and dialogue-heavy, but it is also unpredictable. Full marks to Millman for adeptly navigating a complex human mind and human behaviour with effortless finesse. And he wouldn’t have been half as successful had it not been for the gifted actors who convey every complex and chaotic emotion playing out inside their busy minds.

Patch Darragh leads as David, a deeply frustrated and often downright annoying prick of a character, but as the narrative moves forward, you cannot help but somehow start feeling differently about him. The actor infuses considerable life into David’s uncontrollable need to be needlessly confrontational and undiplomatic, to the point that he ends up hurting the very people who love and care for him. Lawrence Gilliard Jr. also matches David’s beats by playing Coleman in a very matter-of-fact way. Gilliard, however, comes across as a little stiffer in comparison with his counterparts, but still manages to make Coleman a living, breathing and relatable person.

Ultimately, though, it is Jen Ponton who steals the show once she gets her time on screen. The actress is so unhinged yet controlled in her portrayal of Trish. She breathes life into the character, making her a living portrait of all things human. She makes Trish equal parts dreamy and real — a woman who refuses to let patriarchy and practicality dim the light of desire within her. And you cannot help but root for her.

Filmed almost entirely on a single set, it is easy to feel a little monotony in the visual fabric of Resentment, but the screenplay surely rewards patience with an unconventional and thought-provoking payoff. Overall, Resentment is a film that starts off just like any other indie — loud, dramatic and limited — but the way it moves forward, backed by strong writing and terrific performances, allows it to gradually become a film that grows on you and ultimately leaves a lasting impression, populated by characters that feel real, flawed and honestly etched.