Jonah Hill Brother Death Led Him To The Therapists Office

May 2024 · 3 minute read

The day Jordan Feldstein, Jonah Hill’s brother, passed away unexpectedly in 2017, the actor visited his therapist. 

In his new documentary, Hill confesses to his therapist Phil Stutz that he spends much time avoiding thinking about that particular day. 

‘I entered your workplace. It was unquestionably the most stressful day of my life.’ 

Stutz, a new Hill documentary that is currently streaming on Netflix, is an experiment that feels like it shouldn’t work but does. It began streaming on November 14, 2022.

The documentary Stutz tells the story of Jonah Hill’s relationship with therapist Phil Stutz and how the actor used the coping mechanisms he acquired in therapy to get through some of the darkest moments of his life.

More On The Netflix Documentary Stutz

Johan Hill, an A-list actor who is 38 years old, decided to direct a film in which he had an interview with renowned psychiatrist Phil Stutz, his therapist. 

In 2017, Hill’s brother passed away. Hill had been seeing Stutz for therapy even before this incident, but their common experience gives their dialogue a more human quality. 

Hill initially tries to keep this aspect of the narrative to himself and refrains from discussing it in front of the camera.  His resolve eventually gives way, and he does talk about his brother’s story, but Hill tries to focus the story solely on Stutz and fails. 

Ultimately, this documentary is so fascinating: their conversation and interaction don’t benefit an outside audience. Although it can appear indulgent, this art style frequently mimics reality. 

Stutz is a seventy-four-year-old man with a lot of history in his life, yet after seeing Stutz, one won’t come away with sweeping generalizations and superficial thoughts about his life. 

Hill says that he visited Stutz for a session when he learned his brother had passed away. Stutz asked Hill for his phone, so he could capture a photo of the actor while they were there. Hill asks Stutz, ‘I wondered why you did that.’

Hill informs Stutz that he hasn’t looked at the picture in four years after nodding in agreement. However, he feels prepared to confront it now that he has processed his grief, partly by working on this film alongside Stutz. 

He looks at the image with Stutz while holding a printed copy of it. 

‘That’s the picture of somebody who’s been through hell, come out the other side, and is genuinely OK,’ says Stutz in response to the observation. 

Stutz’s words appear to have touched Hill, who then puts up the photo for the audience to view. 

Hill continues by describing how Stutz’s loss processing methods have eased his sadness, but he clarifies that they weren’t a quick remedy. He claims, ‘I still experience that ache every day. I continue to miss my brother.’

Hill continues by claiming that he was able to successfully start ignoring the bad and build his view of himself when he met Stutz. 

He decided not to participate in a Stutz promotional tour and even deactivated his social media accounts as part of his self-care efforts. 

‘You won’t see me out there promoting this movie or any of my upcoming movies while I take this crucial measure to protect myself, Hill stated in a statement obtained by Deadline in August. I wouldn’t be being authentic to myself or the movie if I promoted it in a way that made me feel worse. I hope the art will speak for itself,’ he continued.

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