On the surface, Jake Mahaffy’s Wellness seems similar to many films that have played at SXSW recently. It was made with almost no money, shot on a handheld camera with natural light, and the non-actor cast was not working from a script. While many films that fit this description never leave the territory of Gen-Y narcissism, Wellness takes a different tack, examining several days in the life of a middle-aged pyramid scheme salesman. Like many films of its ilk, it nails awkward social situations with laser precision, but the value of Wellness doesn’t stop there. As the tragic story unfolds, the film becomes a profound meditation on the blurry line between faith and self-deception.
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