Psycho Therapy: A Stellar Oddball Dark Crime Comedy

Psycho Therapy or The Shallow Tale of a Writer Who Decided to Write About a Serial Killer may have a long title but it is much more than that. Premiering at last year’s Tribeca Film Festival, this pitch black dark crime comedy has a certain charm to it in the midst of all the insanity. While its premise is objectively silly on paper, strong writing and performances make it work. A three-parter built on desperation, exasperation, some loneliness, and a few well-placed misunderstandings, it balances a lot over the course of its 100+ minute running time. Though it could easily be argued that the film could have gone a little further in either of those three directions, it makes the most out of what it has. Featuring another story that devolves into chaos as it goes on, John Magaro, Britt Lower, and Steve Buscemi are more than up to the task as their great performances and chemistry make for a fun watch that could very well earn cult status in the future. An indie film through and through, it won’t be for everyone but offering a fresh voice and perspective, it should be applauded in spite of its minor flaws.

Psycho Therapy is centered around married couple Keane (Magaro) and Suzie (Lower), one, a struggling and socially inept writer whose inability to pick up social cues or to stop talking and listen, the other, lacking in excitement in her life, was fed up with carrying her marriage to someone who was essentially a passenger and enabling his behavior. Facing the prospects of divorce and following up his last book, Keane’s life would be turned upside down after meeting a man named Kollmick (Buscemi), a fan of his work and also a retired serial killer. A definite oddball, him not getting traction for his idea for his next book, Kollmick suggested he write a book about him. An undoubtedly more marketable premise, Keane was not the most comfortable with the notion but despite his objections, it was clear that the two were meant to be. Taking him up on his offer, Kollmick took him under his wing, so to speak, in order to get the full experience to write a better book. As Suzie stumbled on to their scheme, Keane simply passed Kollmick off as their marriage counsellor. Though he was the furthest thing from one, he was surprisingly effective as he pulled from his own experiences.

Working as a marriage counsellor in exchange for Keane’s services, he and Kollmick formed quite the chaotic dynamic that only grew more chaotic the deeper they got. Playing the clear contrast between them to great effect, they were a blast to watch together. That being said, that contrast could have been much better defined and even more entertaining to watch, had Keane and Kollmick been better developed characters. Putting a neurotic character and a character made of serial killer vibes together can go either way but Magaro and Buscemi somehow pull it off, making audiences believe in their respective characters. Meanwhile, something had to give. The change in Keane’s behavior was not lost on Suzie who, unaware of the arrangement between he and Kollmick, began to suspect that Keane was trying to kill her. To her defense, a trail of comedic coincidences seemed convincing, at least from her perspective. While their relationship hit a rough patch, watching her travel down her own neurotic rabbit hole in order to investigate her own suspicions made for an entertaining subplot. The lack of a better foundation for their relationship is more forgivable in this case because of how the story turns that dynamic on its head. In the end, Kollmick merely existed to move Keane and Suzie along and that’s okay in the grand scheme.

The best part of Psycho Therapy, and what holds it together, is its great performances from Magaro, Lower, and Buscemi and their strong chemistry. Magaro and Buscemi and their individual quirks compliment each other beautifully as the arc of their dynamic unfolded on screen. However, it could be argued that the former is the bigger contributor to that dynamic as Buscemi is basically playing himself as Kollmick but for him, that’s enough. While Keane could have easily been a caricature and the butt of the joke, Magaro gives him the kind of depth and humanity that makes him relatable, showing off his range as the character is put through the ringer. Similarly, Lower does much of the same, harboring Suzie’s many anxieties and insecurities and showing off some nuanced comedic timing while taking an unexpected yet exciting turn by the end.

At the end of the day, Psycho Therapy or The Shallow Tale of a Writer Who Decided to Write About a Serial Killer is a stellar dark crime comedy whose oddball premise is sustained by some strong writing and performances.

still courtesy of Vortex Media

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.