Manny Padilla is a 17-year-old musician living with severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Tormented since a young age by the belief that one wrong action could open a portal to another dimension and tear him away from everyone he loves, Manny has engaged in nearly constant compulsive behavior that has prevented him from basic functioning. In 2021, Manny began ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention), an intensive treatment that demands he confront his core fears head-on.

Directed by Charles Frank, a filmmaker living with OCD, this film is a realistic depiction of a person’s struggle with a debilitating mental illness, a rare opportunity to witness this unique therapeutic approach and an urgently needed correction to popular misunderstandings of OCD.

Interview with Director Charles Frank

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

I was diagnosed with OCD at the age of 9 years old and was fortunate enough to receive treatment at an early age. I am saddened by the way that OCD is often trivialized and misunderstood in mainstream media. Most do not know that the World Health Organization characterizes OCD as among the 10 most disabling of all medical and psychiatric conditions in the industrialized world. My hope with this film is to expand awareness about the realities of the condition, help people get diagnosed sooner, and encourage more psychologists to receive training in Exposure with Response Prevention (the gold standard treatment for OCD), paving the way for more accessible treatment around the world.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

I've found that people are generally interested in the topic of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder because it has become so common in modern vernacular. I almost called this film "I'm So OCD" because I am frustrated by how often I hear that phrase thrown around casually. Watching this film will illuminate the many unexpected ways OCD can manifest and its unique treatment, Exposure with Response Prevention, which requires you to face your most feared thoughts head-on.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

This film is deeply personal to me because of my lived experience with OCD and exposure therapy. There's a philosophy in treatment that I believe is relevant to everybody, whether or not you struggle with OCD. The idea is to lean into uncertainty. When you can accept that the answer to "what if" is often "maybe," you can move past sticky thoughts. For me, this is a powerful practice in all aspects of my life. I try my best to live with and accept uncertainty as often and as bravely as I can.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

Well because this project is a documentary, there was no script. Some of the visual concepts evolved as we filmed, though. For instance, the camcorder that Manny interacts with throughout the film ends up playing a more significant role than we originally intended. At first, we were using this old Panasonic HVX100 to establish a different, more textured look for his treatment sessions. Over time we realized the camera itself was an "exposure" for Manny as it required him to interact with an electronic device and it fed into his fear of opening a portal to the "wrong" dimension. With permission from his psychologist, we filmed Manny playing around with the camera, and, in doing so, conquering one of his greatest fears.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

We have received extremely positive feedback, especially within the OCD community. I think people are excited to see a film that accurately depicts OCD. It's especially cool that it premiered on such a huge platform (The New Yorker).

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

I have always hoped that people less familiar with the condition would watch the film in a non-judgmental and empathetic way and so far that has definitely been the case. I'm a little bit surprised at how overwhelmingly supportive and accepting audiences have been and it has given me a great deal of hope.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

It often takes people many, many years to receive a proper diagnosis and even longer to find treatment. If this film can help even one person identify what it is that they could be experiencing and help them seek out help, my mission will be accomplished.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

Film festival directors and journalists would be awesome!

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

My hope with this film is to expand awareness about the realities of the condition, help people get diagnosed sooner, and encourage more psychologists to receive training in Exposure with Response Prevention (the gold standard treatment for OCD), paving the way for more accessible treatment around the world.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

What did you perceive OCD to be before and after watching the film?

Would you like to add anything else?

No, this was very thorough :)

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

I'm developing a documentary project about a driving school in NYC! We'll watch first-time drivers get behind the wheel and hit the streets of Manhattan. Should be fun!

Interview: May 2024

We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

Lost In My Mind

Length: 13:07

Director: Charles Frank

Producer: Diana Ward

Writer: Charles Frank & Jake Oleson

About the writer, director and producer:

CHARLES FRANK is a director and co-founder of Voyager & Leap Year. His work has reached millions of people online, been featured in The New Yorker and The Atlantic, and has received ten Vimeo Staff Picks. His debut feature documentary, Somewhere With No Bridges (First Run Features), was heralded as "a celebration of life like you’ve never seen." Charles has brought his unique sensibilities to commercial projects for Jack Daniel’s, McDonald's, DICK’s Sporting Goods and many others.

DIANA WARD is a producer from Australia, who draws on her Chinese Malaysian heritage, immigrant experience and themes of diaspora and belonging in the subjects of the stories she chooses to tell. Since moving to America, she produced fan favorite feature documentary Roller Dreams, which currently streams on Hulu and Kanopy. Diana has produced numerous award-winning short films; including Liberty for writer/director Faren Humes (2019 SXSW Best Narrative Short) and stop-motion animation The Coin for Oscar nominee Siqi Song (Best Animation Chilemonos Film Festival). Her films stream on Hulu, HBO, Amazon Prime and Shorts TV. Diana has been featured on the Dear Producer's Producers in Front of the Camera series and is a Film Independent Producing Lab Fellow and recipient of the 2018 Project Involve Amazon Studios Visionary Filmmaker Fellowship.

Key cast: Manny Padilla

Looking for: festival directors, journalists

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?

The New Yorker, YouTube