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The Audience Award winner at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, The Wackness centers upon a troubled high school student named Luke Shapiro (Josh Peck), a teenage pot dealer who forms a friendship with Dr. Jeffrey Squires (Ben Kingsley), a psychiatrist and kindred lost soul. When the doctor proposes Luke trade him weed for therapy sessions, the two begin to explore both New York City and their own depression.

There’s a ‘secret film‘ showing at the 2008 M-SPIFF this year, and I think it could very well be this film. The description notes that the film was a huge hit at a recent American Film Festival and has a big time distributor. The Wackness is the only notable hit on the market that was picked up by a studio that doesn’t seem to be popping up at any smaller events. Of course, the secret film could just be something terrible that audiences are being tricked into paying money for, but I’m trying to be optimistic.

The ’secret film’ shows in Minneapolis at St. Anthony Main on Saturday, April 26 at 9:15 pm.

The Wackness opens July 3.

Mojo Marshall: I haven’t seen this film yet, but other sites are commenting on the fact this teaser doesn’t do the film justice. “And while I love the graffiti re-do of the Sony logo, the music, and the way everything was cut together, I’m just not sure the moments used accurately give you any real indication what this film is like. For example, I don’t think you get any idea what kind of relationship Josh Peck’s character and Ben Kingsly’s character have. And their relationship really is the core of this film.”