SXSW Film Festival is in full swing, and buzz is abound for all the exciting new projects that have been cooked up by a range of talented filmmakers. One film still to screen is Hypochondriac and it’s a film certain to be one of the breakout movies of the festival. Written and directed by Addison Heimann (who wrote and starred in the fantastic short Jeff Drives You), Hypochondriac tells a fictionalised story based on his own personal experience.
Opening with the text, ‘Based on a real breakdown’ Hypochondriac is psychological horror film that follows a young, gay, Hispanic potter, Will (Zach Villa), who is being haunted by the physical manifestation of his childhood traumas, which cause him to lose function of his body as his life devolves into madness. It’s real world influence tells the stark truth about mental illness, tapping into the magic that made Donnie Darko and Daniel Isn’t Real so special, in order to create a film that will be talked about for years to come.
Alongside Zach Villa, Hypochondriac stars Devon Graye as Will’s boyfriend Luke, and Madeline Zima as Blossom, Will’s boss. Blossom is the ultimate self-serving boss, one who regularly takes advantage of Will before casting him aside in his time of need. Will and Luke have a more complicated dynamic. The pair have been dating for eight months and Will’s crisis coincides with a push for more intimacy. All are woven together in a beautifully poignant and intimate study of the human psyche, and quite simply blew us away when we watched it.
Madeline Zima has been acting since a child and her credits include The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, A Cinderella Story, Heroes, The Collector, and Californication. Similarly, Devon Graye began acting in his teen years, most famously playing the younger version of Dexter Morgan in Dexter. Both have a history within the darker fictional worlds that cinema cooks up and their eye for intriguing and exciting projects is plain to see by their decision to board Hypochondriac. We sat down with the pair ahead of the World Premiere of the film to find out what hooked them into the project and what they hope the audience will take from it.
Hypochondriac screens as part of SXSW 2022.
