Gen X Psychotherapist and a Gen Z Storyteller Team Up for a Deeply Human Look at Mental Illness and Identity

Festival-recognized short Occam’s Beard unites a Gen X psychotherapist and Gen Z storyteller in a compassionate portrait of mental illness.

“We come from two different generations, but we share the same goal—to show the person beneath the diagnosis,” said co-writer Harry Cooke.”

— Harry Cooke

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, November 1, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Occam’s Beard, a short screenplay from Camelback Films, has advanced to the Semifinals of the Big Apple Film Festival

Celebrating Emerging Voices in New York Independent Cinema.

The story is the work of David Ezell, a Gen X licensed psychotherapist, and Harry Cooke, a

Gen Z actor-writer, who joined forces to portray mental illness with compassion and authenticity. The film explores the inner world of PJ Phillips, a former child star who becomes convinced that his trusted psychiatrist has been replaced by an impostor.

Rather than portraying madness as spectacle, Occam’s Beard examines it through empathy—inviting audiences to see not a “madman,” but a man grasping for truth in the fog of his own fractured perceptions.

“Working with people who struggle with mental illness taught me that psychosis isn’t chaos—it’s often a desperate attempt to make sense of unbearable confusion,” said Ezell. “Occam’s Beard translates that truth into art, showing that compassion and fear often share the same moment.”

Cooke adds, “We wanted to write about mental illness in a way that honors the person beneath the symptoms. So much of what we see on screen is exaggerated. Our goal was to bring sensitivity and authenticity—to make the audience feel what it’s like to live inside that uncertainty.”

Shot this past summer, Occam’s Beard is currently in post-production, with an anticipated 2026 festival release.

About Camelback Films
Camelback Films is a New York–based independent production company founded by Harry Cooke and David Ezell. The company develops psychologically rich narrative and documentary stories that explore empathy, identity, and human connection.