Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Several years ago, when I was just fresh out of college, a cousin of ours told us about how a very close friend of his woke up one Sunday at 8 a.m., like he always would, freshened up, made some tea for his parents, went to his room, and killed himself. Nobody understood why. That story came back to me while watching the 2024 film I Feel Fine by Austin Spicer and Hailey Spicer.
The movie follows protagonist Ozzy Taylor (Elijah Passmore), a charming, cheery, spirited teen who spends his free time driving around with his two close friends, playing pranks, or helping at home with chores. When surrounded by people, Ozzy is the “life of the party” type of guy, but the second he is left alone, he tends to spiral into a dark black hole of dangerous, intrusive thoughts, which often morph into suicidal ideation. As Ozzy struggles with several mental health challenges, his family and friends come together to support him in a battle they know little about.
Ozzy shares a great relationship with his musician dad, Donnie Taylor (Corin Nemec), a regular playful love-hate equation with his teen sister, Summer (Tori Passmore), and an endearingly comfortable bond with best friend Dru (Blake Amadeo). A gorgeous new girl in school named Mia (Nandi Summers) also catches Ozzy’s eye, promising a fresh romance in his life. I Feel Fine thus poignantly illustrates how everything might seem all right in someone’s life, yet they could still be grappling with inner demons that are hard to exorcise. It’s subtly hinted that Ozzy’s mom Margaret (Jana Lee Hamblin) is too busy with her offbeat business of selling bugs to spend adequate time with her kids, but it’s never highlighted as an issue.
With a 1-hour 48-minute runtime, I Feel Fine starts slow, and it takes a while for the plot to truly become gripping. But once you get familiar with Ozzy’s world and problems, the relaxed pace of the film feels more fitting. Elijah Passmore shoulders the varying moods of Ozzy with ease, lighting up the screen with his bright smile in the lighter moments of the film, then switching to the tormented teen who can’t stop himself from trying to die. Elijah Passmore might remind some viewers of actor Asa Germann, who also plays a troubled teen in Gen V and The Boys—though, in that case, a troubled teen with superpowers.
I Feel Fine often shifts between two distinct color palettes, with indoor scenes being darker and noir in tone, while outdoor settings are beautifully lush and green, reminiscent of The Kings of Summer. However, some of the family dinner scenes were oddly dimly lit, as if the Taylor family didn’t have adequate lighting. In fact, I initially thought I Feel Fine was set in the 1990s, not just because of the slightly retro aesthetics, but also due to the conspicuous lack of electronics throughout the runtime. If Ozzy and his friends hadn’t discussed Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, and Katy Perry’s music in the first half, it would be hard to place the exact timeline of the story. Nonetheless, the distinct lack of social media and the internet was a welcome change in a teen movie dealing with serious themes. The background music, too, is refreshingly understated, rarely overpowering the plot.
The emotional graph of I Feel Fine balances highs and lows well. Just when you think things are getting worse, something nice happens, or vice-versa. Ozzy’s budding romance with Mia is sweet, and the filmmakers slip in a fitting tribute to James Stewart’s classic It’s a Wonderful Life, which also dealt with the theme of suicide, through a conversation between the two characters about movies. Despite her limited screen time, Nandi Summers delivers one of the more delicate moments of I Feel Fine, where Mia and Ozzy address what’s going on with him.
Ozzy’s turbulent mental health journey in the second half of I Feel Fine strangely reminded me of The Discomfort of Evening, a dark, unsettling, award-winning novel about a schoolgirl named Jas who obsesses over death and self-harm after the tragic death of her brother. Despite similar themes, Jas and Ozzy are worlds apart. Jas comes from a deeply religious, dysfunctional family where she is often ignored, leading to feelings of isolation and abandonment. But Ozzy’s fixation with dying is harder to understand, leaving both parents and viewers feeling helpless and frustrated over his ordeal. The climax is sad, heartbreaking, and leaves you with a sense of despair.
Rating: 3.5 on 5 stars.
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