Aaron Fisher Overcoming Mental Illness Directing Inside The Rain

But it sounds like he’s just basically hitting on the idea that we discard people just a little too quickly. We are, we give up on people too easily.
Yeah, and also with bipolar, it’s one of the most miserable things you could ever suffer. Honestly, I can attest to it, and I attempted suicide numerous times. I can’t even remember. It’s miserable. Also, I think in most cases, it’s also the most treatable illness too, so if you have terrible s**t going on, it can be cured, like you can be functioning.

It’s a terrible thing that people discriminate against because I can tell you that when I was transferring colleges, I wrote a college essay that mentioned I was bipolar. When I met the college admissions coach, he said, “You have to take out all mentions of bipolar in your college essay because that’s a huge red flag. They will not accept you. I mean you could say you’re gay, you’re transgender, disabled, but if did you say bipolar, you’re not getting in. It’s a form of legal discrimination.

In my first two schools, I regretted signing up with the college disabilities’ office saying I’m bipolar. If you get into an argument with someone, you’re bipolar, and you’re crazy. Now the Dean of Students is on your a*s and saying things like they’re going to kick you out. If it’s two regular people in a heated discussion and they’re not registered with the office as bipolar, it’s merely just an argument.

When I went to my most recent school—the one I graduated from—and my dad said…Do you want to sign up for the disabilities’ office thing?” I was like, “F**k, no.” I told my current therapist that I didn’t sign up for it. He said, “Yes, that’s a good thing to do. You shouldn’t sign up for it.” They’re really just trying to filter you out, kick you out of the school. They don’t want to be sued for someone who committed suicide, or whatever. It actually makes your life much more miserable to sign up for these things that are supposed to be helpful.

“…if people don’t take you seriously, then you just have to say f**k them.”

I didn’t want to be preachy. I knew that this movie couldn’t be about Benjamin Glass getting revenge on the school. I knew that he had to grow and mature, and in a way, doesn’t actually care about what they have to say about him. Like the bipolar s**t to me is like an afterthought.

When was the moment where someone said, “Okay, let’s make a movie.”
It started with day one of writing the script. I’m going to make this movie because I am making it. You can’t just like tiptoe around. “I’m making a movie.” And if people don’t take you seriously, then you just have to say f**k them. Or if they tell you they can’t, you can only play villains, or you can’t direct that. You just say, “F**k them.”

Another thing is you have to be self-sufficient in filmmaking. In my case, I was directing, acting, editing, writing. Like you can’t do this unless you are obsessed with succeeding. If you’re not thinking about success from day one, then you’re not going to make it. Sure, there can be days where you doubt yourself for sure, but you still have to believe that you are going to make the movie. If you did not believe you’re actually going to make a movie, you’re not going to make the movie.

Do you have theatrical distribution for the film?
The national theatrical release will be March 2020 and distribution with Sky Island Films.