The second feature from Jake Mahaffy, following his Tarkovskian experimental tone poem War (EIFF 2004), is a very different affair from his debut. Whilst a certain criticism of the Land of the Free may be detected in both, director (also writer, cinematographer, editor and producer) Mahaffy this time eschews the experimental — the film even won the Grand Jury Award for a Narrative Feature at the SXSW festival — to deliver a savage deconstruction of the American Dream set in the murky world of pyramid selling schemes.

Wellness is a wonder drug, though quite what it does remains such a mystery that not even sad-sack Wellness salesman Thomas Lindsey can seem to explain it. It’s a “paradigm shift” in healthcare, whatever that means. About to invest his last $20,000 in the product, Thomas gets a visit from his boss, the tyrannical and abrasive Paul, whom Thomas is keen to impress as he holds the key to his possible rise up the ranks at the company. But, at least to us, a couple of things are obvious early on: Wellness may not be the get-rich-quick scheme Thomas assumes it to be, and Paul’s unbelievably aggressive style means he’s no ordinary salesman...

A case study in how not having a budget need not be a hindrance if you’ve a great script and a couple of actors to match, the film won’t be winning any art direction or cinematography prizes, but that’s of little concern. Often hilarious (in a socially awkward Alan Partridge/Larry David kind of way), the astonishingly empathetic performance by newcomer Jeff Clark does, however, make it very difficult to laugh. It’s an incredible performance. Watching his slow realisation of the extent of the scam he is involved in and his subsequent response to this fact are, quietly, devastating. Paul Mahaffy (the director’s father) deserves a mention as well. As Thomas’ boss Paul, he has created a character that might even make the hucksters in Glengarry Glen Ross run for the hills.