Truly, Madly

Director - Brian Dorton (Crazy Fat Ethel, Trashology)

Starring - Adam Freeman (Piggy, Cannibal Hookers), Sondra Carver, and Brian Dorton

Release Date - 2021

Genre - Drama/Horror

Tagline - "Mother may I?"

Format - Streaming (Online Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I spent the last few days watching a few no budget schlockers from filmmaker Nick Millard.  After I had watched Criminally Insane 1 and 2 I wanted to finish my horror binge with Brian Dorton's Crazy Fat Ethel which is a modern retelling of that 1975 classic.  Right before I started my binge I was contacted by Dorton and informed that his newest film, Truly, Madly, was available for review.  I was already about to watch his 2016 film so I went ahead and made it a double feature.  Thanks Brian for allowing me to review the film.

     The movie follows a young gay man who loses his father in a horrible automobile accident.  His mother struggles with the loss and turns to her religion to find comfort.  Her son's sexual identity becomes a problem and soon she finds herself afraid of losing him to another man.  This fear leads her to murder and once she starts she has a hard time stopping.  

     I had covered Truly, Madly sometime ago when Brian first announced the project and couldn't wait to check it out.  I absolutely loved Trashology but I hate to admit that I never did get around to seeing Preexisting Conditions.  After seeing Big Fat Ethel and Truly, Madly you can bet your sweet ass and half a tit that I'll be looking for Brian's other films that I've missed over the years.  Truly, Madly is not the kind of movie I would typically go out of my way to watch and I would be missing out.  The mix between religious drama and horror works very well for this story.  The acting in this one is great.  Adam Freeman is great as the young adult dealing with the loss of his father while his mother has forsaken him due to his sexual orientation.  He's so natural in his role and his emotions are very genuine.  Director Brian Dorton takes on a dual role and does an exceptional job at it.  His characters are both a huge part of the story and he does a solid job.  The real surprise of the cast here is Sondra Carver.  She has no imdb credit aside from this film and she absolutely nailed her performance here.  This is a name I can expect to see pop up in more indie productions in the next few years.  The story for this one is equal parts religious drama and horror in the same line as Criminally Insane and Crazy Fat Ethel.  Having a widow sink deep into her religion as a cushion is nothing uncommon especially along the bible belt.  This obsession puts her beliefs above the happiness of her child but kick-starts her murderous side in a similar way that food starts Crazy Fat Ethel's murder spree.  With that being said, the similarities end there.  The movie stands out on it's own by showing one of the many obstacles that the LGBTQ+ community deals with.  Not only with the general public but among their own family.  Finally, the deaths in this one is not as bloody and gory as I was expecting but they are still fun.  They fit the film very well and show some serious amounts of blood.  The effects are minimal but they work for the gags.  Overall, Truly, Madly is not going to be one for everyone.  However, for those of you looking for a well made dark drama with religious backstories and an LGBTQ+ flair then I highly recommend it.  Also, I would highly suggest pairing it with October Moon.  Those two would make for a seriously fun double feature.