About the film

THIS IS BOOK CLUB is a darkly funny look at anxiety, self-doubt, and the relentless urge to belong — even (or especially) in middle age. It urges us to trust that inner voice whispering: get out while you can.

When lonely, socially anxious Jane (Robyn Okrant) joins a book club to make friends, she soon discovers that middle-aged women in sweater sets can be savage. At the center of it all is the club’s unnervingly perfect leader — the hostess with the mostess — Marilyn (Laura Jane Young). She makes everything seem effortless. Jane is drawn to Marilyn and the possibility of being adopted into her gaggle of gal pals. However, as the night draws on, Jane begins to suspect that, in this cul-de-sac kingdom, fitting in might be the most dangerous thing of all.

From the writer/director:

I have struggled with debilitating anxiety since my teens. Over the decades, I’ve turned down hundreds — possibly thousands — of invitations, preferring instead to stay home on my very safe, non-judgmental couch. My inability to overcome anxiety has done real damage to my career, my friendships and my general enjoyment of life.

Since becoming a mother seven years ago, I have made a concerted effort to change. At the very least, I want to give my daughter the impression that she has a stable mother.

I recently worked with a therapist who specializes in Exposure Therapy. During one difficult appointment, I said NO to every one of the social challenges she laid out for me. Clearly frustrated, she looked me in the eyes and asked, “Robyn, what’s the worst thing that could happen if you said yes?” In response, I sat down at my desk that night and wrote THIS IS BOOK CLUB.

I am certain this film isn’t the “yes” my therapist had in mind. But farcical catastrophizing helps take power away from my fear. I have a long way to go before I feel freedom from the weight of anxiety, but creating this movie helped me see that there might be an itty bitty sliver of light at the end of a very long, very dark tunnel.

-Robyn Okrant