Steve Buscemi Leads Twisted Therapy Session in ‘Psycho Therapy’

Dark comedy Psycho Therapy: The Shallow Tale of a Writer Who Decided to Write about a Serial Killer arrives on digital platforms in the UK from today, 15 September, via The Movie Partnership. Directed by Turkish filmmaker Tolga Karaçelik, the film blends farce and psychological tension in a story that spirals from domestic discord into absurdist chaos.

The feature follows Keane (John Magaro), a struggling writer whose creative block is mirrored by the disintegration of his marriage. When his wife Suzie (Britt Lower) announces she wants a divorce, the situation takes an unexpected turn with the arrival of an eccentric visitor claiming to be both Keane’s greatest admirer and a retired serial killer. In a twist of comic misunderstanding, Suzie believes the stranger is a marriage counsellor hired by her husband. Keane, desperate to salvage both his writing career and a sense of control over his life, persuades the visitor to continue the ruse, proposing he become the subject of his next book in exchange for playing the role of therapist.

Steve Buscemi plays the mysterious guest with a mix of deadpan menace and comedic timing, anchoring the film’s unpredictable tone. Known for roles in Fargo, Reservoir Dogs and Severance, Buscemi brings a calculated ambiguity to the role, shifting between unsettling and oddly sympathetic. Magaro (Past Lives, The Big Short) and Lower (Severance) round out the cast with performances that balance the ridiculous with the emotionally grounded.

Director Karaçelik, previously known for Ivy and Butterflies, navigates tonal shifts with a deliberately unsteady hand, creating a film that oscillates between satire and tension without ever settling into one genre. The result is an unconventional character study that explores ego, identity, and delusion through a framework of marital dysfunction and crime fiction pastiche.

With early reviews calling it “smart and silly” (Original Sin) and “an enjoyable farce-like affair” (Starburst), the film is positioned as a meta-leaning entry into the dark comedy genre, likely to appeal to viewers drawn to stories of unreliable protagonists and domestic disorder. Psycho Therapy is now available to rent or buy on platforms including Apple TV and Sky Store.

Psycho Therapy trailer