Director Erik Bloomquist and his brother Carson Bloomquist invite audiences into a desperate situation in their collaborative screenplay Self-Help. Landry Bender stars as Olivia, a college student with a strained relationship with her mom, Rebecca (Amy Hargreaves). Her new bestie, Sophie (Madison Lintz), agrees to go with Olivia to a retreat that Rebecca really wants them to attend together. The retreat is run by self-help guru Curtis (Jake Weber) and is designed to help attendees become who they were always meant to be. From the jump, Olivia is wary of Curtis and doesn’t trust his cult-like sayings. Part of her distrust could stem from the fact that Curtis and Rebecca are married, making him her stepfather. Is this an actual self-help retreat, or are Olivia’s suspicions correct, and something sinister is afoot?
Self-Help is part thriller, part mystery, part horror, and part family drama. Anyone who’s followed his filmmaking career will know that Bloomquist is a master of blending genres (see Long Lost or Intermedium) and does so effortlessly here. Therefore, while being four genres at once seems like a lot, the director makes the transitions seamless. The reason for the distance between Olivia and Rebecca works, as does the daughter’s distrust of the happenings at the retreat. But the attendees, such as the elder gentleman Andy (Blaque Fowler), believe in it wholeheartedly, and Curtis insists at every turn he is not “a” or “the“ messiah at all. This gives the self-help community an air of legitimacy, which means Olivia could be lashing out against her mom for no apparent reason. However, harm befalls some of the followers, creating a genuine sense of danger and lending credence to Olivia’s concerns. It is all riveting, and the narrative remains so until the end credits roll.
“Is this an actual self-help retreat, or are Olivia’s suspicions correct, and something sinister is afoot?“
Bender is outstanding, projecting confidence, outrage, and frustration all believably. Her chemistry with Hargreaves and Lintz is impeccable, selling those relationships as real. Hargreaves is fantastic, allowing herself to be raw and vulnerable but never quite revealing her true self to the audience. Lintz excels as the bestie who seems to be buying into what Curtis says. Weber is very charming, making it easy to understand why people would gravitate to him. Erik Bloomquist plays the small but pivotal role of Owen, and he ably ups the stakes.
Self-Help is a stunningly intense ride. Bloomquist masterfully navigates all the genres, allowing each one the appropriate time to breathe. The cast is phenomenal, with Bender and Hargreaves truly excelling in weighty emotional scenes at the conclusion. This could well be the best Mainframe flick to date.
"…a stunningly intense ride."
