Look, I try to stay open-minded and ready to expect the unexpected when I watch any movie that comes on to my viewing schedule, but films like Hypochondriac are a good argument against genre labels. There's some good stuff here, although it's not all good, but none of that will be appreciated by people who have seen this labelled as a horror and will, understandably, sit waiting for some actual horror. There's a kind of horror running through this, the fear of illness being passed between generations, as well as a bit of body horror, but it's not packaged in a way that will please most.
Zach Villa plays Will, a man who is struggling with some recent physical symptoms that correlate to extra stress in his life. He's in a fairly new relationship with Luke (Devon Graye), but his behaviour, and what may be hypochondria, is already putting a strain on things. Will has issues stemming from childhood trauma, which leads to him having visions of a wolf-like figure appearing during times of mental and/or emotional overload.
Villa is decent in the main role, if a bit reserved, and smoothly transitions between depressed stillness and manic agitation as the mindset of his character demands. Graye is also very good, going through an understandably difficult time as he tries to figure out a way to be supportive to someone who may not have a path towards any improvement to their situation. Although a few more characters come in and out of the narrative, it's only really Marlene Forte and Chris Doubek who make a strong impression, rather appropriate considering the fact that they play Will's parents.
Writer-director Addison Heimann doesn't do bad with his debut feature, on a technical level anyway. He has assembled a small cast of talented performers, helped himself a lot by hiring Dustin Supenchek to deliver some lovely cinematography, and ensures that every scene has a consistent level of quality that seems to exceed the limitations of the relatively low budget. There are one or two good ideas here, especially in the opening third, but it all starts to sag and fall apart once Heimann gets bogged down trying to disguise some of the more familiar elements with a couple of twists and some ambiguity. Those tactics don't serve the material well, and they don't even actually help to disguise anything.
Perhaps Heimann cannot bring himself to take the lead character far enough into a really pit of dark nightmares, or perhaps he thinks that what is shown here already is enough to keep things intriguing and impactful enough. He's incorrect, sadly, and this needed to depict some moments in the present that were more clearly hurting and scarring than what we saw, forming a stronger bond with the obviously upsetting past that is revealed as everything unfolds.
It's a tough one to figure out, in hindsight. Maybe Heimann was trying to be a bit too ambitious, but maybe he wasn't being ambitious enough. I really can't decide. A few moments of memorable imagery don't do enough to make up for the mis-steps elsewhere. Either way, he's tried to deliver something thought-provoking that will speak to those who have spent their lives rubbing nervously at scars they hope others don't notice. I don't think he succeeds, but I respect his intentions, and I hope to see him improve as his film career continues.
5/10
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