tomhardy-69181 On the surface, Malady is a film about the burgeoning relationship of a young couple, and the slow unravelling of the secrets that they both keep. At its core though, Malady deals with themes of obsession, possession, and shame. It becomes a close and personal examination of how psychological baggage can drive any relationship to its breaking point.The tight-in, held held shooting style lends the film a level of intimacy that can often border voyeuristic discomfort. This only serves to build a level of tension that, scene by scene, ratchets up to a finale wherein every single word uttered and every action made seems to have immense gravity and potential consequence.No, it's probably not a date night film, but it's dark, it's weird, it's well constructed, and above all, it's thoughtful. It's an accomplished debut, and a real breath of fresh air for UK indie cinema.

maguirrem2010 Ishtar was better than this.Save your two hours and pull out your toenails instead.Screws his dead mother and then roll credits.Just horrible.

frompagescreen Its been nearly a week since I first watched this Jack James, written and directed film, and even though its been many days, im still not sure how I feel about it. Whilst on the surface, Malady is a film about love, and bonding and a relationship. Once youve seen the film, it adds a whole new dimension to that description, which has stayed in my mind since the end credits rolled down my viewing screen.To fulfill the last wish of her deceased mother, Holly (played by Roxy Bugler) seeks out to find love and companionship and encounters it in Matthew (played by Kemal Yildirim) and soon relationship becomes all-encompassing and all consuming.. When Holly answers Matthews phone and hears that Matthews Mother is gravely ill, the new couple provide home care in her final days,'Malady' is such a haunting film, and whilst im still trying to work out what it is that haunts me. I do lean toward the excellent and subtle performances of the two leads and Roxy Bugler is wonderful as Holly, who on one hand you want to take care of, and give her the companionship she craves but who also on the flip side gives of this darker side which you might not have seen, but you know might be lurking in there somewhere, as well as Kemal Yildirim's performance as Matthew who in a lot of scenes, needs no dialogue but commands the scenes with just a look, or body language. Together Kemal and Roxy rule the screen with the story with talent and to describe the film as 'Raw' would be an understatement. Jack James in his feature film directing debut does a fantastic job and with the writing talent he showed with his previous film 'Rose' and the writing of 'Malady' he is definitely a film maker to keep an eye on.I have no trouble at all recommending 'Malady to film fans, however this aint no popcorn, feet up on the table, a few drinks and turn up the cinema surround type of film. 'Malady' is a dark character drama that shows of the talent of all involved and well worth checking out if you love great film. It just might take you a little while to process your feelings on the film after youve watched it.'

Chris Wow I don't even know where to start talking about this film that is more something you experience rather than talk about. This is so far from mainstream filmmaking that you can get. There is very little dialogue but what's said means so much and this film is not only disturbing and off putting but it is oozing atmosphere. The film feels like it's constantly shot in closeup so it feels so intimate but also claustrophobic at the same time. The score here is absolutely fantastic and to me it's what makes this film as powerful as it is.Holly played by Roxy Bugler is dealing with the death of her mother who's dying wish is that she finds love. She quickly connects with Matthew played by Kemal Yildirim who she meets at a restaurant. Eventually they become close but Matthew receives a call about his own Mother and that's when things begin to spiral out of control.There are strange happenings throughout the film and not once does the film tell you what they mean. There is no spoon feeding of information or exposition. When the film ends you will be frustrated beyond belief at not getting any answers but if you think about what you've seen hard enough all the answers are there. If you love slow burn films that lean more to the art-house side of things there is so much to enjoy and discover. 4.5/5 stars.