Sarah Silverman, Chris Gethard and More Discuss Comedy and Depression in the Trailer for It’s Not That Funny

“But doctor… I am Pagliacci.”

You’ve probably heard that comedians tend to be sad inside. You can easily argue that everybody tends to be sad inside, especially over the last few years, but the connection between telling jokes and being depressed at a deep, fundamental level is very well-documented at this point. And yet we’re still living in a culture that tries to avoid talking about these issues, and that discourages people from candidly discussing their problems.

Enter It’s Not That Funny. The upcoming documentary from SoulPancake and Funny or Die is an honest, unflinching look at the toll depression and anxiety can take on our daily lives—and also how it can drive some of us to make others laugh at the ridiculousness of this world we live in. In the first trailer we see comedians like Sarah Silverman, Chris Gethard, Aparna Nancherla, and Wayne Brady allude to the mental health issues they live with and how they’ve inspired their comedy. Also involved with the film are Neal Brennan, Baron Vaughn, Riki Lindhome, Rainn Wilson, Rachel Bloom, Sara Benincasa, and Anna Akana. This is an important conversation that far too many of us are still afraid to have openly, which means a movie like It’s Not That Funny could wind up being legitimately important. You can check that trailer out below.

It’s Not That Funny will be available at SoulPancake.com and on SoulPancake’s YouTube page later this month.