Group (2003)

Nine women meet every Wednesday afternoon for 21 weeks of group therapy in this entirely original, ultra modern probe into the American psyche. Six unhidden and unexplained cameras capture this fast and funny, deep and bumpy ride into consciousness as these dauntless women simply try to find a little more happiness. Punk amputee; born-again Christian; hypochondriac; sex-rocker; enigma; tramp; bigot; binger; and their therapist. At the center challenging them all is Pipi, the fat one-legged punk walled up inside her own contradictions. Orbiting closely are Clansey, the Christian confounded by her own condemning judgments, and Grace, the hypochondriac desperate to stay above the emotional fray. In this microcosm of life wrought with prejudice, pettiness, and trauma, it's compassion that transcends all else with a level of reality rarely seen in fiction. Six simultaneous camera perspectives expand the story on screen with multiple frames and layered narratives. Unforgettably funny at times and riveting to the final moment, GROUP delivers a fresh, powerful view of cinema and humanity. -- © Artistic License