Director's statement:
Director's Note: The stories of disability and illness in film are infrequent and sometimes even misportrayed. Often they fall into two categories - inspiration or tragedy, both meant to make the audience walk away feeling for the characters rather than relating to them. When I was diagnosed with POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) as a teen, I noticed this underrepresentation even more acutely. POTS is an autonomic nervous system disorder that can disrupt many aspects of life. My primary symptom is a constant headache, which recently turned three years old, and frequent, fierce vertigo. The latter is far more common and is often accompanied by fatigue, cardiovascular issues, and fainting. Witnessing how the experiences of myself and other individuals in the POTS community are shaped by our disabilities inspired me to center that perspective in this film.
While many people with chronic illness live with invisible disabilities, this term can often feel inadequate. Invisible disability is always visible to the person living through it. Jamie’s story of personal growth does not come in the form of challenging an external threat, but in confronting her own actions and the beliefs that they stem from. The dialogue with Healthy Jamie is a form of introspection many of those with chronic illness can relate to, and the feeling of grief over every choice lost to your illness. Yet the communities and relationships an individual can build is often the antidote to this grief and loneliness. Just as many feel trapped in their illness, Jamie is trapped in very limiting settings. This is combined with the sterile, dark, and cool-toned visuals provided by a hospital setting. My hope is that this helps the audience to not just feel for, but to understand the life that Jamie, and other chronically ill individuals, are experiencing.
