‘Hypochondriac’ Review: Mommie Weirdest
metroweekly.comHypochondriac (★★★☆☆), gay pottery-maker Will (Zach Villa) is visited by The Wolf, a glowing-eyed figure manifested from his boyhood trauma.When Will was 12 years old, his own mother tried to kill him.
Heimann depicts the scene — Mom (Marlene Forte) and young Will (Ian Inigo) alone in a rented cabin where she almost strangles him to death — with a matter-of-factness that calls to mind tragic news stories about mothers who murderously turn on their own children.Will’s mom isn’t evil, apparently, but suffered a psychotic break that would land her in a mental hospital for years.
The film actually opens with a title claiming to be “based on a real breakdown,” which might be interpreted in any number of ways.
Forte’s quietly frenzied portrayal, both alarmingly tense and sadly authentic, certainly rings true.Fast-forwarding 18 years, the film finds grown-up Will spinning pots for a trendy ceramics shop, and eight months into a promising relationship with cute, sensitive Luke (Devon Graye).
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