Jeff Baena wrote a film inspired by a family's mental health struggles

In the wake of the independent screenwriter and director Jeff BrothersIt was at the wrong timeFans remember his 2020 film Horse girl – A film inspired by his family's mental health struggles.

“Allison and I both had family members with mental illness, and that had a huge impact on the work on this,” Baena, who was married to P.E.Ships and entertainment star aubrey plaza, Let Reddit users know ahead of the film's 2020 release.

Baena co-wrote the film with the actress and friend Alison Briewho also starred in the film. Baena also served as the film's director.

During the same 2020 Reddit Q&A, Baena explained that his first stepmother suffered from “manic depression and was in and out of facilities in Miami due to the Baker Act (Calif. 5150).” Page six Reported for the first time.

Related to: Alison Brie reacts to the death of frequent collaborator Jeff Baena

Alison Brie is mourning the death of her friend and frequent collaborator, Jeff Baena. Brie, 42, shared a series of photos of the couple together via her Instagram Stories on Sunday, January 5. In the first photo, Brie smiled as she looked at Baena as he spoke at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival about Horse (…)

“Although I wouldn't think so Horse girl “For it to be an activist film, the themes of how we as a society and individuals deal with people with mental illness were a major focus and motivation for making this film,” the director added at the time.

On Friday, January 3, Plaza's husband was found dead in the couple's home. According to the medical records I reviewed Us WeeklyBaena died by suicide. No additional Cause of death Or special circumstances related to his death were included, and the exam was conducted on Saturday, January 4.

Plaza has not commented publicly on her husband's death. A representative for the actress provided a statement to Delivery time She and her family requested privacy during “this difficult time.”

In the wake of Baena's death, celebrities and friends alike publicly made their donations Condolences to Plaza Via her Instagram. Others exchanged touching tributes to the director and screenwriter, who was also known for his work life after beth, I heart HuckabeesAnd more.

Horse girl It follows Sarah (Brie), who finds solace in supernatural crime shows and horses, but her lucid dreams slowly begin to take over her reality. In 2020, Brie revealed in the same Reddit conversation that the film “tapped into very real emotions” due to her experience with her grandmother, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia.

“It's based on my family history with mental illness, specifically my grandmother's schizophrenia,” she said at the time, adding that the film also depicts her “fear of that in my DNA.”

Plaza and Baena, who began dating in 2011, have kept their relationship relatively private. In 2021, Plaza revealed that she and her husband married in a private ceremony at their home during the coronavirus lockdown in 2020.

“A lot of things happened for me during the coronavirus. Yes, we got married. Big deal,” Plaza recalled during his appearance. Ellen DeGeneres displays. “We were a little bored one night. We got married and I'll tell you how: Onehourmarriage.com. It's real, look it up.”

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