"I'm Fine"

06.21.2019

"I'm Fine"

by Alexander Lubinsky

“I’m Fine” follows an unemployed college-grad as he battles his depression alone, sending him down a dark path. The idea for this film came to me from my own experiences struggling with depression. Beginning in my high school years, I found myself having difficulty finding any joy in life. When something bad would happen, I would fixate on it, which only made me feel worse and led me to some dark thoughts. Luckily, I was able to find a strong support system in my friends and family when they noticed my behavior. With their help and some additional counseling, I learned some tools to manage my depression. I learned to be more open about my emotions, to maintain positive relationships, and to make sure that I remain active when I find myself slipping back into those dark thoughts.

On my journey to improve my mental state, I found that a lot of people did not fully understand what depression was. They associated it with drug-use and severe emotional trauma, because those were the only aspects that media portrayed. Time and time again, I would see movies and shows only depicting depression and suicide as a direct result of bullying or addiction, and while those do represent some people’s stories, I found that they did not represent mine. It was upon seeing this that I decided that I wanted to get my story out there for anyone else who might feel the same.

As a film student at Sacramento State University, I was able to see my story fully realized. I distilled my own experiences as well as some that my friends shared with me down into a script that, I believe, better encapsulates the realities of depression. When I pitched the idea as a potential film to make, I was surprised and excited to see people gravitate towards my idea. Just about everyone who took part in the making of “I’m Fine” had, at one point or another, been forced to deal with the effects of depression. This common ground helped everyone involved to grow close and let us work together to make the best film we possibly could.

When we started fundraising for the film, my producer, Michael Stephenson, came up with the idea of donating all excess funds to ADAA. We found that their mission statement of providing education about depression and anxiety in an effort to reduce the stigma surrounding these mental health issues to be in line with our reasons for making the film. More than anything, we want people to see what an accurate representation of depression not often shown in the media looks like. We are pleased to say that, with our generous donors, we were able to donate nine hundred dollars to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America and we hope that our film can help to destigmatize anxiety and depression.

Alexander Lubinsky
Writer and Director of “I’m Fine”