All These Flowers

It is a documentary feature film effectively and emotionally defining Bipolar Disorder. This is a labor of love and a commitment to all those who have been labelled with a not-so-clearly-defined mental illness. The film is a witness of the life and struggle of those who have been diagnosed with the illness and it is the story of their triumph over the stigma, maltreatment, and the identity associated with it.

It tells the emotionally charged story of 6 people diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder from across the United States. They come from different family structures, financial situations, and treatment strategies. Shot over the course of 2 years, the film captures the struggle of mental illness and how our healthcare system is under-equipped to help. Ranging from a young man living homeless in Colorado and an inmate in Kansas, to a young mother in Wisconsin and a retiree in Pennsylvania, the film expresses the diversity and complexity of the diagnosis while addressing the stigmas and challenges faced by those who are diagnosed. It digs into their relationships with their spouses, children, parents, counselors, and communities. It speaks of the love and support necessary for recovery and the consequences possible when the support is not there. 

The overall message of the film is simple—we all struggle. And though some of our struggles can be given the same name they can be expressed differently from person to person. The film is a bold look at a deeply complex and widely misunderstood illness. Ultimately it is a story of victory: of finding identity apart from a diagnosis, hope where there was despair, and recovery from an incurable disease. Alycia Betz affirms in the film, “This is not a death sentence. Bipolar Disorder is not a death sentence”.

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