TAMPA, Fla. — Hailey and Austin Spicer both wrote and directed the feature film entitled “I Feel Fine.”
The movie introduces you to Ozzy Taylor, a lovable and energetic teenager who’s enjoying high school, summertime, and his best friends. But all of a sudden, his mental health abruptly changes.
“We just really wanted to make a movie that raised awareness for mental health and kind of normalized talking about mental health,” explained Hailey.
In the film, Ozzy deals with the mental health diagnosis known as suicidal OCD. It’s a condition where the person has intrusive thoughts about suicide they cannot control.
“If you're looking down a bridge, and you're kind of like, 'Oh, what would happen if I jumped?' So suicidal OCD takes that thought, and it's like, 'I need to jump, that's in my brain, I need to complete and do it,'" said Hailey.
“He went very dark when he rewrote the paper. Have you ever talked to him about suicide?” said Mr. Wayman, a teacher in the film.
Mr. Wayman was based on one of Austin’s real teachers, as he wanted to highlight how important it is for a student to have someone to confide in.
“He was one of the first teachers that I really felt like I could talk to about anything, and he made it feel comfortable to talk to us, just very open about things,” explained Austin.
The movie also reveals the heartache of those around someone who has suicidal OCD.
“I Feel Fine” recently premiered at the Sunscreen Film Festival in St. Petersburg, so Hailey and Austin could see how a live audience reacted to the film.
“The audience, really after the premiere, resonated with the ending. They were like, 'I just feel encouraged to go hug my loved ones,'" said Austin.
Hailey and Austin are now trying to sell their movie to a studio or streaming service.
Meanwhile, there is a treatment for suicidal OCD. It’s often a combination of medication and therapy.
If you or someone you know is thinking about hurting themselves, please call the Suicide Hotline at 988. They answer 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
