"Why I Fight offers a perceptive and moving window into the subjective experience of psychiatric illness and the power of human connection. Exploring the fears and yearnings of a brilliant young man afflicted with bipolar disorder, and his comrades-in-arms on a hospital ward, this film humanizes the struggles of vulnerable patients with compassion and authenticity. It is a magical film that rises to the demands of its emotionally challenging subject matter."

— Jacob M. Appel MD, Director of Ethics Education in Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

“I did not know the young man to whom this film was a tribute from Gil and Liz so I am not sure how well it captured him and his struggles personally but from my perspective and experience it was very well done, Sally. In the beginning, I was very struck by the use of the high-pitched sounds randomly coming on and playing loudly. That took me right back to the simulation of Alzheimer's I did in AZ. some years ago to give you the sense of how a person's mental frequencies can become very confusing and scrambled as they are bombarded with stimuli. Although I'm sure very isolating, lonely and terrifying at times, life in the facility had some camaraderie, a team spirit, which was sweet, perhaps a factor of youth? Enjoyed the varying perspectives of the panel, including the young "consumer of mental health services" and the man who was the brother of a mentally ill person. His comment that one goes from sympathizing to trying to quell the terror through factual explanation resonated with me. Both are familiar to me with Allyn and Worthy.”

— Sarah Cohen


“Why I Fight” Panel Discussion, January 14, 2022


Making “Team Wristband” - A conversation with the filmmakers