A hapless Midwest couple arrive in Los Angeles with little but their dreams, and end up living in the suicide headquarters of a strange cult. First frightened then fascinated by the Cult of Storsh (led by the always amusing Taika Waititi), they find applying the tenets of the guru’s teachings leads them closer, surprisingly, to personal fulfillment. Too bad it also involves assisting in near-nightly suicides. Holding the film together is an inspired John Candy-esque clueless-cop performance from Dan Harmon, a wannabe screenwriter stuck on cleanup duty after his initial investigation of the guru let him off on a technicality. A deep-dark black absurdist comedy, Vivieno Caldinelli’s feature debut doesn’t leave the audience much breathing room to question its irrationality. Even the score and the colors seem to assault the senses with a sort of maniac joy. -BF