A new documentary about the invisible struggles of Lyme disease will arrive on May 30, in time to mark the end of an annual awareness month around the condition.
“I’m Not Crazy, I’m Sick” will release to paid video-on-demand, from director Elle Brooks-Tao and cinematographer Clair Popkin (who shot the Oscar winning “Free Solo”). Sypher Studios and Fieldhouse Productions are producing. Sypher Studios and Fieldhouse Productions are producing, and will release in association with Global Lyme Alliance. Variety has an exclusive first look at the trailer below.
The project follows three families, as well as WNBA star Elena Delle Donne, battling the disease and the eye-popping costs that treatment and diagnoses impose on patients. The doc was inspired by executive producer Kim Cleworth (“Exposure”) and her family’s journey.
“After six long years of chronic, debilitating illness, my daughter Atty was diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2019,” said Cleworth, founder of Fieldhouse. “I was shocked to learn that there are more cases of Lyme every year than HIV/AIDS, West Nile virus and Malaria combined, yet it receives far less funding due to inadequate testing and heavy stigma. Not to mention, treatment isn’t covered by most insurance. Our hope is that this film will be a call-to-action to support those affected by Lyme disease.”
Cleworth and her daughter are on board for Fieldhouse with Nonny de la Peña. Jens Jacob and Jason Pamer are producing for Sypher Studios.
Christopher Meloni, internet boyfriend and longtime “Law & Order” star, has for years advocated for Lyme disease research and relief. He calls the film “harrowing, and “a journey of desperation, misinformation, intransigence and intentional malfeasance by those who set the medical guidelines.”
