If you haven’t had 90 minutes to watch “Stutz”, the new documentary by Jonah Hill, I would say “Cancel your plans, grab a notepad, and get ready to have your outlook on life change.”
I had someone very close to me ask “Is it possible for a single documentary to immediately change the trajectory of your life?”
The answer, I believe, is Yes!
When I tell you within a day of watching this documentary I had shared it with over 20 friends… that would probably be an understatement. I believe Jonah Hill has single handedly, along with the brilliance of Dr. Phil Stutz’s “tools,” created a new movement, a movement that all we need to get behind. That movement is… having open conversations, sharing helpful advice or tools (in this case) in regards to how we approach society's overall acceptance or non-acceptance of one's mental health.
Being our authentic true selves is what we are striving for… to be able to truly share with others what is really going on and being able to live in that legitimate space, mentally, physically and spiritually. I mean, that is the goal… Right?
Yes, it sounds great… but it’s more easily said than done.
The documentary Jonah Hill has been working on for over 2 years is an interview with his therapist, Dr. Phil Stutz. Jonah believed so much in the use of Dr. Stutz’s coping tools that he wanted to share with the world what had so drastically helped him make it through his childhood traumas, the tremendous loss of his brother, and well… Hollywood in general.
We all know Jonah Hill’s movies. I mean, I've probably watched all of them. I have thoroughly enjoyed each one of the characters he has so creatively adapted and conjured. I mean, who can deny that he is a fabulous actor? Not me… He has won awards proving that he has been successful in Hollywood and now he is telling us about the struggle and strategies for coping that have changed the way he participates in his daily life.
What is most incredible about Jonah Hill and specifically this documentary is the amount of vulnerability that is displayed on both ends of their stories. Jonah being so real and raw about his struggles and then, out of the blue, he displays blatant honesty, telling Stutz that the documentary isn't working (“It sucked.” I believe were Jonah’s words) and then quickly shifting the narrative and direction after years of filming. Gutsy, yet brilliant! Stutz introduces how important finding your “Life Force” is and the true importance of having a relationship with your body, a relationship with people, and, ultimately, a relationship you build with yourself. He also journeys through Part X, your shadow self, the maze, the pearl, and, well, a lot more… Stutz ultimately bears his soul and shares his losses: his dysfunctional family history, his health journey, his traumas, and what he is thinking about doing in regards to “love”. You truly feel that Stutz is directly speaking to you. I was speaking right back to him (Hahahahaha).
As you can tell by now, this blog isn't about fashion, what to wear to your next event or what new designers are trending. This is a blog about raising awareness and having individuals feel comfortable sharing their stories to help others. No one can truly know what someone is going through, especially with the social media trending today and how happiness and consumption over calculate the “realness” of what truly is. The truth of the matter is that we need to connect! We need to be able to feel we can be vulnerable without judgment and we need to tend to the relationship within ourselves to realize that this is normal. Everyone is going through it. As Stutz says in the documentary “there are 3 aspects of reality that nobody gets to avoid: pain, uncertainty and constant work”. The more accepting we are to the process, (I believe “falling in love with the process” was stated at some point) the better prepared we are to understand the aspects that are unavoidable so that we can better cope with life’s unending changes, challenges, and… yes... even the wins.
I had someone tell me once, “I love you and I don’t think or see that ever changing” and I feel good about that.
Words mean something… connection means something… living authentically means something and the stories we tell ourselves affect us internally and externally. Figuring out the balance and making a decision to do something differently takes courage, but on the other end it also takes encouragement.
As Stutz puts it “True confidence is living in uncertainty … The winner is the one that works the cycle”
And one more to end on….
“Possibility means you feel yourself reacting differently”
I loved every minute of the documentary… Every. Minute… and I am reacting differently.
Are you?
💛Rachel
Some of our favorite media also love “Stutz” as well… if you need more inspiration…