Whether you're a longtime fan, or have never heard of Maria Bamford, she might just be your favorite comedian's favorite comedian.
"So many comedians these days put her on their Mount Rushmore of the greatest of all time, with Richard Pryor and Rodney Dangerfield. ... She is that revered in this industry," says filmmaker Neil Berkeley.
That's why he and Judd Apatow teamed up to make “Paralyzed by Hope: The Maria Bamford Story" — a documentary exploring Bamford's comedy journey and the mental health struggles that have influenced her material.
The film will be showing April 18 and 19 at the Oriental Theatre during the Milwaukee Film Festival, with Berkeley attending both screenings for filmmaker Q&As.
“I want people to experience [Maria],” he says. “I want people to know that there’s this person who gets up at eight in the morning and does comedy for 10 people in a bookstore and then, that weekend, goes to a thousand-seat theater.”
For decades, Bamford has blurred the line between performance and personal crisis. Her material often centers around her mental health journey and the relationships that have shaped her, for better or for worse. Whether it’s standup or acting in the semi-autobiographical Lady Dynamite, Bamford presents herself with honesty, disarming vulnerability and funny characters.
"She has this ability to turn all of her life's experiences into these incredibly funny, but also useful stories," Berkeley says. "And this isn't always the goal of stand-up comedy, but you can go to her shows and everyone in that audience can hear something or learn about one of her experiences that they can empathize with."
Telling Bamford's Story
Berkeley says "Paralyzed by Hope" all started with a spontaneous phone call from Judd Apatow, who pitched the idea of making a documentary about Bamford.
"He has this amazing ability to get you to do things that just sound exciting, and all of a sudden, before you know it, you're doing them," Berkeley says.
The next day, the duo were headed to Bamford's place to capture what would become the opening scene of the film.
"[Apatow] said, 'Bring your camera, and we'll just start,'" Berkeley explains. "And I was like, 'okay.'"
The film provides insight into Bamford's creative process, alternating between intimate interviews, stand-up tapes and other archival footage to show how Bamford's mental health struggles and trauma have informed her comedy. The film also features long segments of Bamford doing stand-up throughout the film - almost two entire sets, which Berkeley notes is rare for a documentary.
"Judd was always very adamant that at the end of the day, this is about a stand-up comedian, so it has to be funny... And that was always the North Star: let's tell these stories, but make sure we always fall back on the stand-up and show her telling these jokes," he explains.
Berkeley has been moved by reactions to "Paralyed by Hope" so far. He says the reality of the film's presence out in the world finally clicked for him during the Sundance Film Festival, when one audience member broke down with emotion during a post-screening Q&A.
"I was like, 'Oh, this person that I don't even know is having this real reaction. ... That is where you stop thinking about it as this thing you made, and now it's this thing that exists in the world and people appreciate it. That's where I try to forget that all this work went into it and just appreciate that someone reacted to it," he says. "It's moments like that are really incredible."
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