The "Coddling of the American Mind" Movie is Coming This Month!
Pre-order it today
Dear Readers,
Over the past year, I’ve mentioned the new featured documentary I directed, The Coddling of the American Mind, from time to time. But for the most part I’ve focused my attention elsewhere.
That’s about to change.
A lot has been going on behind the scenes with regard to The Coddling movie. The world of independent film is often a long slog, and if you’re lucky the slog is followed by periods of intense excitement.
I’m pleased to report that the long slog is nearly over.
This month you will finally be able to watch the movie. In fact, you can pre-order it and subscribe right now!
Group discounts are available, and you can even gift the movie to a special someone. Ok, so maybe a film about anxiety and depression isn’t the world’s best Valentine’s Day gift, but you could do a lot worse! I sure have!
And The Coddling movie isn’t just a one-time experience, it’s an ongoing journey that will be relevant long after the red roses wilt.
My wife and I and the rest of Team Coddling Movie are just about ready to share our stories with you. First, there’s the story, that is, the movie itself. Then there’s the story behind the story.
In the coming days and weeks, I’ll be sharing more and more about The Coddling movie and its journey. We are embarking on a first-of-its-kind film release, one that is very much an experiment. I’ll explain what I mean by a “first-of-its-kind,” and why we decided to take this route.
The Story
Those who are familiar with The Coddling book or The Atlantic cover story that preceded it, will get a “same but different” vibe from the movie.
You’ll find the same ideas and concepts—such as the Gen Z mental health crisis, antifragility, free play, free expression, and the dangers of the “oppressor-victim” worldview.
And authors Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt figure prominently in the movie. The story of the two of them trying to make sense of a mental health mystery is a riveting one, and our film is the first time Greg agreed to go on camera to explain his darkest moments.
How those dark moments could ultimately bring light to a new generation is a reminder to us all that our suffering, as pointless as it may seem in the moment, can bear fruit in beautifully unexpected ways.
Fundamentally, the movie is a story about happiness—how we can lose it, and, if we manage to grasp it again, how much more precious it feels the second time. And since Greg and Jon wrote their book with Gen Z in mind, it was only fitting that we allow Gen Zers to tell their stories.
That’s the “different” part of the movie.
We spoke with a global group of 20-somethings that is living the ideas of The Coddling book, and most of the movie is told through their eyes. If you’re down on Gen Z, wait till you meet our subjects. They’re introspective, thoughtful, and willing to stand against the crowd. Adults taught them to be miserable, but they refused to accept that fate.
Here’s a taste of the movie:
An anxious generation searches for happiness —
Beginning in 2012, a mental health mystery appeared out of nowhere. Anxiety, depression, and suicide shot up among young people, and nobody knew why. Then one man’s brush with suicide revealed some unexpected clues, and five 20-somethings from around the world began to piece together a solution they hoped would pull themselves out of the darkness.
Based on The New York Times bestselling book by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt. Produced by Courtney Moorehead Balaker. Directed by Ted Balaker.
The Story Behind the Story
These are interesting times to be releasing an independent film, let alone one that challenges the monoculture’s deeply held beliefs on issues ranging from free expression to DEI. The times get even more interesting if you are part of a filmmaking team that will not be satisfied by merely preaching to the converted.
The story behind the story features a variety of characters and themes that will be familiar to Shiny Herd readers.
There’s the film industry that wants to see itself as edgy and open minded, but is increasingly ruled by cowardice and conformity. There’s the audience, which, again and again, signals to the industry that it wants riskier fare, more intellectual diversity, and something other than the tedious rehashing of the monoculture’s myopic view of the world. There are the heterodox filmmakers, including our team, who yearn to sidestep the industry and give the audience what it wants.
And like so many of the best tales, the ending of the story behind the story remains unresolved.
Although the film’s public phase is just about to begin, we’ve participated in enough sneak peek screenings to be cautiously optimistic about the reception it will receive. We’ve watched the film be embraced by diverse audiences from all across the nation. At each screening, the Q&A period goes much longer than scheduled, and each screening generates requests for more screenings.
After one screening for about 40 undergrads, viewers completed anonymous questionnaires.
We asked respondents to write down words they’d use to describe the film.
The top responses were words and phrases grouped around “stimulating” and “truthful.”
Plenty of students also acknowledged the film’s controversial nature, calling it “a wakeup call,” “profound,” “important,” and a “must-see.” Another summed it up like this: “Risky, but needs to be shared.”
Our premiere will take place on February 21 in Beverly Hills, and the very next day we’ll begin our first-of-its-kind release. We’ll provide various ways to watch the film and get involved in our nationwide tour.
We’ll soon be heading to UCLA, Princeton, Cornell, Wake Forest, and many other venues on campus and off.
I hope you’ll consider supporting the film and asking your friends to do the same. You’d be supporting our nonprofit impact campaign, and the more support we attract, the more audiences we can reach.
I hope you’ll join us on this journey. Since you read Shiny Herd, chances are good we’ll be fighting for your ideas and advancing your mission.
Stay tuned!
Ted
Ted Balaker is a filmmaker, and former network newser and think tanker. His recent work includes Little Pink House starring Catherine Keener and Jeanne Tripplehorn, Can We Take a Joke? featuring Gilbert Gottfried and Penn Jillette, and a soon-to-be-released feature documentary based on the bestselling book, The Coddling of the American Mind, by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt.