MARLENE RHEIN’S (DIS)CONNECTED
Watch Now: The Groupon Therapy Black Comedy
There’s a reason The So-So You Don’t Know has been scooping up awards on the festival circuit for the last year. This dry, intelligent anthology revolves around a f–ked up therapist running a Groupon special for new clients in New York. The client list is inclusive and runs the gamut of white, black, gay, straight, abled, disabled, famous and regular Joe. It’ll touch you whether you’re single or not. In this high-tech, low-touch, love ‘em and leave ‘em world, the human being craves connection, acceptance and, well, love. As most people seek their happiness from the outer world (money, sex, food, drugs) they are left more bereft inside. In this series, these New Yorkers seeking a quick fix for their discontent are lured into therapy by the Groupon. But each episode leaves them and us with questions about our own sense of worth and self-love.
In the therapists seat we have Marcia Wallace, a foul-mouthed and very broken woman in need of money who dispenses kernels of tough love you won’t forget. She just so happens to be played by Sachi Parker, Shirley Maclaine’s estranged daughter, who has won four Best Actress awards at various film festivals for her dynamic performance. Each episode, she finds herself looking for a new space for her clients. She does what any sane person would do: go onto AirBnb. The multi-layered comedy coupled with the deep one-on-one conversations makes for a multi-dimensional viewing experience you don’t want to miss.
“I just thought (a therapist using Groupon) was funny,” Creator Marlene Rhein said. “It just came to me. Black comedy is my thing. The idea of a messed up therapist with problems of her own who is running a Groupon special for new clients just cracked me up.”
Rhein, who previously directed music videos for 2Pac Shakur and Amy Winehouse and also stars in Episode 1, said she created the series “…as self-therapy to get over heartbreak and a lingering depression about the impossibility of finding real connection today. I created the character of the therapist to channel my own inner voice telling me to stop seeking broken love out there, and to love myself already. I also thought this would be an excellent source of comedy. The dark kind, that uses real pain and finds the twisted light in it.” Rhein was featured as one of the “Top 25 New Faces of Independent Film” by Filmmaker Magazine and her previous work has been reviewed by The New York Times.
The series, which is shot on location in New York City, started as a crowdfunded campaign that grabbed the attention of a generous benefactor. And thank goodness because this perfectly balanced series will have you hooked. It’s funny, dark and entirely relatable, giving way to a show you and your friends won’t be able to get enough of.
Straight from the director herself, Rhein said she wants you to walk away with a sense of compassion and self-worth. Oh, and this: “I hope they laugh like fucking crazy and want to see more.”
While several networks have been courting the show, the first 5 bite-sized episodes can be seen here on PROVOKR.com. So without further ado, we give you The So-So You Don’t Know.
