United States / 90 min / 2008
Wellness is a micro-budget feature film about a man trying to succeed in a business that does not exist. The film follows Thomas Lindsey’s last three days with the fictional ‘Wellness Corporation’ as he prepares for a large investment seminar in an old Pennsylvania town.
“Razor-sharp and genuinely sensitive, with a flawlessly authentic, heartbreaking performance by central thesp Jeff Clark… a textbook case of how a solid script and great perfs can transcend the lowest of budgets.” – Variety review, by Russell Edwards
“Wellness was shot on the super-duper low budget side but clever camera work and excellent use of radio mics make you forget that… “Wellness” is a classic tale of American struggle and woe.” – Film Threat
“This is the type of film that seems to be artless… It is simply mind- blowing.” – Hammer to Nail
“…a profound meditation on the blurry line between faith and self- deception.” – Spout
“Grim and beautiful, Wellness will have even the most entrenched cynic hoping against all logic for a happy ending.” – AFI program guide, by Jon Korn
“…suggests the possibility for a new cinematic genre.” – Washington Post, by Anne Hornaday
“Wellness walks a tricky line between hope and denial with an unrelenting eye toward truth that can make viewer squirm with uneasy laughter even as they glean insight into the desperation on society’s fringes.” – Starz Denver, film society guide
“…a savage deconstruction of the American Dream set in the murky world of pyramid selling schemes.” – Edinburgh catalogue copy, by Rod White
“… a chaotic and entirely engrossing example of desperate capitalism… a brutal yet hilarious depiction of a man-on-a- mission.” – SXSW festival guide, by Matt Dentler
“Wellness, won the Grand Prize at SXSW this year, and it’s emotional, political and spiritual themes only become more relevant by the day.” – Filmmaker Magazine, by Scott Macaulay
2008 Grand Jury Prize winner / Dramatic Competition at SXSW, 2008 IFP Gotham Awards / Best Undistributed Film Nominee, 2008 Grand Jury Prize winner / Newport International Film Festival, 2008 Best Film and Best Actor winners / DiBa Barcelona, World Premiere / 2008 International Tiger Competition at Rotterdam, SXSW Film Festival, Buenos Aires Independent Film Festival, Edinburgh International Film Festival, Munich International Film Festival, CineVegas Film Festival, Seoul Film Festival, Raindance Film Festival, Nantucket Film Festival, Newport International Film Festival, Leeds International Film Festival, Moscow Tomorrow Film Festival, Denver Starz!, Torun International Film Festival, Milano, Digital Barcelona, Flanders Ghent Film Festival, Viennale, Ljubljana, Off-Camera Festival, AFI Film Festival, New Hampshire, Charlotte, Lisbon Village, Chicago Underground, Sundance Channel, Film Freak distro and many others…