In the psychological thriller “Hypochondriac” life and all its horrors begin with the mother. When the film’s protagonist, Will (played as a child by Ian Inigo), was young, his mother (Marlene Forte) suffered from mental illness. rice field. She hurt herself with her scream. One of Will’s most enduring memories of him is being strangled by his mother as a boy.
Eighteen years later, Will (Zach Villa) seems to be living a more peaceful life than when he was a kid. He works as a potter and has a loving boyfriend, Luke (Devon Gray), who is eager to introduce Will to his family. But Will’s stability begins to crumble when his estranged mother begins to contact him again. She sends him a box of her discarded DVD case and a scattered, disorganized voice message warning him to stay away from Luke. Will is haunted by fear that his mother will infect him for the rest of his life and become like his mother. But his fear turns to paranoia when he begins seeing visions of a giant werewolf, a distorted memory of his childhood costume.
Writer-director Addison Hyman plays with horror elements in this tale of mother-son maniacs. Will’s wolf apparition is performed with practical effect, dripping blood and dripping matte fur. The bloody consequences of distorted thinking are vividly depicted in surgical truth. But as sure as the film is when it comes to stylishly portraying the Boogeyman, it’s less so when it comes to portraits of people experiencing symptoms of psychosis. Tying movie monsters to specific psychiatric conditions. Its armchair psychology is nauseating and amalgamation of diagnosis and blame.
hypochondriac
Unrated. Running time: 1 hour 37 minutes. at the theater.