Stutz
Cert 15| ★★★★★
Long-time Judd Apatow collaborator Jonah Hill chronicles the life and career of the therapist he credits for single-handedly saving him from a lifetime of anxiety in this hugely insightful Netflix documentary.
In it, the actor-turned-director flips the table on his shrink by inviting him to talk about his life, career and recent Parkinson’s disease diagnosis.
Anyone who’s ever struggled through several attempts at seeking therapy without success will recognise that the process is never a one size fits all exercise.
Famed for helping many therapy sceptics, including many prominent people, Phil Stutz has spent 40 years perfecting the method he calls “The Tools”, a series of visualisation exercises devised to help deal with a number of mental health issues.
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Phil Stutz
In a candid discussion with Hill, Stutz recounts his experience of being born to parents who pinned all their hopes and aspirations on his own school and career trajectory. The result is a deeply moving insight into one man’s mission to help those for whom traditional therapy remained unyielding.
Hill seems reluctant to talk about his own demons at first, even stopping the conversation abruptly when asked a very personal question about his own past. But half an hour into Stutz, the actor reveals something truly extraordinary about his own film.
This is an admirable piece of filmmaking in which Hill allows viewers to benefit from the same treatment he has had for years.
Often pausing to exchange jokes or simple “I love you’s”, the duo work perfectly together and it’s easy to see how Shultz and his “no nonsense” methods helped Hill cope with his struggles with body image and the loss of his own brother, music manager Jordan Feldstein.
There are moments of frustration and moments of pure unadulterated joy running through Hill’s film, and one can’t help but cheer both patient and therapist, even if by the end we are no longer sure which is which. I have genuinely never felt the urge to recommend a film more.
