Nothing can quite prepare for such an unorthodox film as Malady, a bold and dreamlike tale of unconventional romance, long-buried secrets, and the possessive intensity of familial bonds. To fulfill the last wish of her deceased mother, grieving Holly seeks out love and finds it in Matthew; their relationship swiftly becomes very close and all-encompassing. After receiving the news of Matthew's ailing mother Loralei, both arrive to provide care in her final days, only to be faced with a nightmarish reality spiraling out of control. Here, they encounter the sickly mother, who attempts to destroy their mystique of love and the bonds they have tentatively made. This thrusts the loving couple into a spiraling nightmare of lies and deceit, testing their loyalty and redefining their definition of family. Giving a whole new meaning to the proverbial "keeping it in the family," Jack James' debut feature is as haunting as it is brilliant - a piece of cinematic art exhibiting sheer audacity and singularity of vision, bound to move and provoke. Written by Liva Petersone
