Jeff Baena wrote a movie based on his family’s history with mental illness and talked about how it influenced his work a few years before his shocking death at age 47.
Baena – who was found dead in his Los Angeles home on Friday – spoke candidly about mental health ahead of his film Horse Girl dropping in 2020 on a Reddit Ask Me Anything forum.
When asked about the film’s lead Sarah (Alison Brie) being released from the mental hospital and if the scene was based on personal experiences, Baena openly admitted to watching his stepmom suffering from bipolar disorder.
‘Unfortunately, people get released all the time when they still need treatment,’ he wrote in February 2020. ‘The 72-hour mandatory hold only applies to patients who are a danger to themselves, so they must be released after that appraisal period.
‘My first stepmom had manic depression and was in and out of facilities in Miami due to the Baker Act (5150 in California). While I would not consider “Horse Girl” to be an activist film, the themes of how we as a society and individuals treat persons with mental illness was a major focus and impetus for making this.’
Baena and Brie cowrote the film together about the latter’s family history with mental illness, specifically the actress’ grandmother, who suffered from schizophrenia.
‘That was the original impetus for writing a story like this,’ Brie, who is married to actor Dave Franco, wrote on the forum.
The director and husband of Aubrey Plaza also said his family history with mental illness had influenced the film’s plot as well.
Baena – who was found dead in his Los Angeles home on Friday – spoke candidly about mental health ahead of his film Horse Girl dropping in 2020 – a film based off his and co-writer Alison Brie’s family histories (pictured: Baena and Brie in 2020)
Baena (with his wife Aubrey Plaza in 2022) was found dead inside his home on Friday by an assistant and was declared dead at the scene
When asked about the film’s lead Sarah (Alison Brie) being released from the mental hospital sooner than she should have and if the scene was based on personal experiences, Baena openly admitted to watching his stepmom suffering from bipolar disorder
‘Alison and I both have had family members who have had mental illness, and it was a major influence [while] working on this,’ he wrote.
During one of the scenes, Baena asked Brie to draw from her personal experience and ‘talk about my own family’.
‘I definitely tapped into very real emotions about that,’ the actress said.
Much of the script was not scripted, Baena told Collider ahead of the film’s Sundance premiere. The actors had basic plot points they knew they had to hit, but the dialogue wasn’t word-for-word written down ahead of time.
Baena was found dead inside his and Plaza’s Los Feliz home on Friday by an assistant and was declared dead at the scene, the Los Angeles Fire Department previously told the DailyMail.com.
‘Death was determined for an approximately 47-year old male, no transport,’ they said in a statement.
‘We responded to the 2100 block of Fern Dale Place for a death investigation. Officers responded for a male decedent,’ the Los Angeles Police Department added to the DailyMail.com. The Life After Beth director was pronounced dead at the scene.
TMZ reported law enforcement sources said the filmmaker died by suicide, but DailyMail.com has not been able to confirm this.
Baena’s family told Deadline that they are devastated by the news and are asking for privacy at this time.
The director got into film after he graduated from New York University with a film degree and moved to LA to launch his career.
Much of the script was not scripted, Baena (pictured) told Collider ahead of the film’s Sundance premiere. The actors had basic plot points they knew they had to hit, but it wasn’t word-for-word scripted ahead of time
Baena and Brie cowrote the film together about the latter’s family history with mental illness, specifically the actress’ grandmother, who suffered from schizophrenia, she revealed on Reddit in 2020
He worked low-level jobs for big directors, including Robert Zemeckis and David O. Russell as he found his footing in the industry. He was staffed as a production assistant for Zemeckis and as an assistant editor for Russell.
He is best known for directing Life After Beth, his directorial debut, which which wife Aubrey Plaza starred in, and The Little Hours.
