Movie Review: SELF-HELP

By ABBIE BERNSTEIN / Staff Writer

Posted: October 31st, 2025 / 02:12 AM

SELF-HELP movie poster | ©2025 Cineverse

Rating: R
Stars: Landry Bennett, Madison Lintz, Amy Hargreaves, Jake Weber, Erik Bloomquist, Carol Cadby, Blaque Fowler, Adam Weppler, Marlee Eaton
Writers: Erik Bloomquist & Carson Bloomquist
Director: Erik Bloomquist
Distributor: Cineverse
Release Date: October 31, 2025

SELF-HELP is a refreshingly odd psychological thriller that has elements of true-crime shows but is considerably weirder than most.

Directed by Erik Bloomquist and written by the helmer and his brother Carson, SELF-HELP starts with a startling incident in which little Olivia (Marlee Eaton) sneaks away from her birthday party to see where her mother Rebecca (Amy Hargreaves) has gone. The upshot is that Olivia semi-accidentally kills someone. Rebecca, who is somewhat responsible for this, is determined to cover it up and makes Olivia swear never to speak of it.

Over a decade later, it is clear that the secret has stayed hidden. Olivia (now played by Landry Bennett) is at college and hasn’t seen her mom for years.

Although Olivia is ambivalent, and procrastinates like nobody’s business, she has reluctantly agreed to join Rebecca on a three-day wellness retreat. Accompanied by supportive college best friend Sophie (Madison Lintz), Olivia drives to the retreat.

Olivia and Sophie walk in only slightly late as things are getting underway at the retreat. Five people, all wearing rubber masks – sheep, dog, clown, etc. – are rapturously watching a SOUTH PARK-style greeting from “the Truth Ambassador,” as he is known online.

The man behind the cartoon steps out and reveals himself as Curtis Clark (Jake Weber). He tells his eager followers that they shouldn’t idolize him – “I’m not God, you are” – as he helps them uncover their true selves.

There are limits to Curtis’s acceptance. Moments into the session, he ejects the adoring, heartbroken Steve (Adam Weppler) for violating the “no cellphones” rule, and smashes Steve’s phone for good measure.

But Curtis couldn’t be happier to meet Olivia, who is stunned by this initial scene. Rebecca wants Olivia to give Curtis and his philosophy a chance. When Olivia asks, Curtis insists that his weekend seminars are not a cult. “Cults want people to stay.” Curtis wants everyone to leave with better, more empowered grasps on themselves. This plays out in some extreme ways.

Weber gets a great role here and inhabits it with verve, going from showmanship to wisdom to ecstasy to several other diverse facets. Bennett is persuasive as the tamped-down, watchful Olivia. Hargreaves plays Rebecca in a way that lets us see not only how she sees herself, but also how Olivia views her. Lintz has inviting sisterly warmth and the precise right amount of reserve.

As a director, Bloomquist creates an almost continuous sense of disquiet, with strange images and angles. The unease prevails even in broad daylight.

When we get to the endgame of SELF-HELP, it seems like a level or two of explanation has been left unexplored. Even so, by then, the screenplay has delivered plenty of legitimate surprises. If the climax is a bit mundane compared to what has preceded it, we’ve still been given a fair amount of roller-coaster ride.

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