Overview
- Paralyzed by Hope: The Maria Bamford Story premiered Thursday at the Sundance Film Festival to positive notices from critics.
- The film follows Bamford from childhood through her unconventional career, foregrounding her openness about depression, OCD, anxiety, and suicidal ideation and how she shapes those experiences into comedy.
- Reviewers note extensive archival material and recent chapters in her life, including an evacuation during the Eaton fire and family reconciliation, presented with empathy and humor.
- Testimonials from peers and industry figures, including Stephen Colbert, Zach Galifianakis, Patton Oswalt, Conan O’Brien, and Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, underscore her influence and underrecognized stature.
- Apatow says he self-financed the project and paid Bamford an “archive fee,” and at Sundance he urged civic engagement, calling the current situation in the country “heinous.”