Jeff Baena’s haunting quotes on mental health and how it influenced his work resurface after shock death [Video]

13:46 EST 04 Jan 2025, updated 17:35 EST 04 Jan 2025

Jeff Baena wrote a movie based on his family’s history with mental illness and talked about how it influenced his work a few years before his shocking death at age 47. 

Baena – who was found dead in his Los Angeles home on Friday – spoke candidly about mental health ahead of his film Horse Girl dropping in 2020 on a Reddit Ask Me Anything forum. TMZ reported law enforcement sources said the filmmaker died by suicide, but DailyMail.com has not been able to confirm this.

When asked about the film’s lead Sarah (Alison Brie) being released from the mental hospital and if the scene was based on personal experiences, Baena openly admitted to watching his stepmom suffering from bipolar disorder. 

‘Unfortunately, people get released all the time when they still need treatment,’ he wrote in February 2020. ‘The 72-hour mandatory hold only applies to patients who are …