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Run time:
90 min.
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USA
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Language:
English
In the docurealist American tragedy Wellness, Willy Lomanesque salesman
Thomas Lindsey gives everything he’s got—including his heart, soul, and money—
to a financial scam that ends up bankrupting him and destroying his life. Falling
under the spell of Paul Stubbs (played by the filmmaker’s own father), the
charismatic bully behind the fake Wellness Corporation, Lindsey is lured in by a
pyramid scheme that promises material, spiritual, and physical well-being in the
form of a capsule. Despite his awkward persona and utter lack of experience,
Lindsey (Jeff Clark, a psych-ward therapist by day) believes that he too can
succeed at the miracle-cure business by spreading the word to other investors.
Traveling to a small Pennsylvania town, he struggles to organize a sales
presentation, awaiting the arrival of promotional materials that never materialize.
Perversely, as the situation worsens, Lindsey’s resolve increases, until he finally
steels himself for a leap of faith that can only mean disaster. In the end, he must
choose between betraying other unwitting hopefuls or confronting the
devastating loss of his life savings.
Taking his own leap of faith with a projected budget of $2000, a handheld
camera, and a two-week shooting schedule, director Jake Mahaffy and his
nonprofessional cast improvised on location to flesh out his fictional premise,
capitalizing on the naturalistic effects of such quasi-guerrilla techniques to
highlight the tragic elements of the film. Wellness walks a tricky line between hope
and denial with an unrelenting eye toward truth that can make viewers squirm
with uneasy laughter even as they glean insight into the desperation on society’s
fringes.
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