Jeff Baena’s haunting quotes on mental health and how it influenced his work resurface after shock death

Jeff Baena wrote a film 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 before his film Horse Girl was released on a Reddit Ask Me Anything forum in 2020.

When asked if the film’s protagonist, Sarah (Alison Brie), was released from the mental hospital and if the scene was based on personal experiences, Baena openly admitted that he had seen his stepmother suffer from bipolar disorder.

“Unfortunately, people are released all the time while they are still in need of treatment,” he wrote in February 2020. “The mandatory 72-hour waiting period only applies to patients who pose a risk to themselves, so they should be released after that assessment period.

“My first stepmother had manic depression and was in and out of facilities in Miami due to the Baker Act (5150 in California). While I wouldn’t consider ‘Horse Girl’ an activist film, the themes of how we as a society and individuals treat those with mental illness were a major focus and motivation for making this film.”

Baena and Brie co-wrote the film about the latter’s family history with mental illness, particularly 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 that his family history with mental illness also influenced the film’s plot.

Baena (with his wife Aubrey Plaza in 2022) was found dead in his home by an assistant on Friday and was pronounced dead at the scene

When asked if the film’s protagonist, Sarah (Alison Brie), was released from the psychiatric hospital earlier than she should have been and if the scene was based on personal experiences, Baena openly admitted that he watched his stepmother suffer from bipolar disorder suffered.

‘Alison and I both had family members who had mental illness, and that had a big influence [while] working on this,” he wrote.

During one scene, Baena asked Brie to draw from her personal experiences and “talk about my own family.”

“I definitely tapped into very real emotions about that,” the actress said.

Much of the script was not written, Baena said Collider prior to the film’s Sundance premiere. The actors had basic plot points they knew they had to hit, but the dialogue wasn’t written down word for word in advance.

Baena was found dead at his and Plaza’s Los Feliz home on Friday by an assistant and was pronounced dead at the scene, the Los Angeles Fire Department previously told DailyMail.com.

“The death of an approximately 47-year-old man was confirmed, no transportation,” they said in a statement.

“We responded to the 2100 block of Fern Dale Place for a death investigation. Officers responded to a male deceased,” the Los Angeles Police Department added to DailyMail.com. The Life After Beth director was pronounced dead at the scene.

TMZ reported that law enforcement sources said the filmmaker committed suicide, but DailyMail.com has been unable to confirm this.

Baena’s family told them Term that they are devastated by the news and ask for privacy at this time.

The director got into film after graduating from New York University with a film degree and moving to LA to launch his career.

Much of the script was unwritten, Baena (pictured) told Collider ahead of the film’s Sundance premiere. The actors had basic plot points that they knew they had to hit, but it wasn’t written word-for-word in advance

Baena and Brie co-wrote the film 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 at a low level for major directors, including Robert Zemeckis and David O. Russell, as he gained a foothold in the industry. He was appointed production assistant for Zemeckis and assistant editor for Russell.

He is best known for directing Life After Beth, his directorial debut, which starred his wife Aubrey Plaza, and The Little Hours.