Welcome to Me

Courtesy of Alchemy

Understandably there are a bevy of flaws concerning this film, and I will get to them in the following review, but I should say right off the bat that I thoroughly enjoyed this little traipse into mental illness' machinations. Kristen Wiig has been killing it in indie roles lately, especially in "The Skeleton Twins" and "Girl Most Likely." Even when those films fell flat, Wiig's performance shined through like a piercing beacon of light. Okay, now that we have exalted at the SNL alumni throne, we can move onto the film as a whole.

 The premise of this film immediately grabs you: a woman suffering from borderline personality disorder wins the lottery and finances her own insane talk show that's "part infomercial, part memoir."  Wiig's character fluctuates between bitter regret and is constantly lacking inhibitions, especially sexually. Though she seems to be a shut-in she has a childhood friend (played by Linda Cardellini) who is always on her side and follows her on her madcap adventures. Alice Klieg (Wiig) is a really interesting character who is dominated most by anxiety, shame, and regret, and we as the audience want to know how she ended up where she has.

 It has been quick to point out that Klieg's persona is in line with borderline personality disorder, and the amazing, crazed show she produces is in line with her mental illness. The show itself is great, queerly theatrical while also being awkward and uncomfortable to sit through. The show is the film's strongest point, as it's free to be whatever Klieg wants, and so it is. Constantly I was surprised by the choices in the script, in a good way.

 While the quirkiness of this film had me loving it from the get-go, there just isn't enough visible character development. This can be tricky, since borderline personality disorder doesn't have any quick fixes. Mostly Klieg just needs to get back on her medication, which she does, and the plot is resolved, instead of there being more of a change in Klieg's demeanor. The ending makes sense for the plot, but left me wanting more, wanting something more interior from Klieg. Other than that it was a truly depressing, realistic portrayal of the hold of mental illness, and the selfishness it can create in relationships, making for another win for Wiig.