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  "description": "Mental illness ain't funny, but at least there are clowns.",
  "path": "/fears-of-a-clown-review-sfdocfest26/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-30T11:49:27.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.moviegoingwithbill.com",
  "tags": [
    "Leave a tip"
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  "textContent": "## Dear Moviegoers,\n\nBefore watching Jack Nicholson in the mid-1990s film _As Good as It Gets_ , I never had a word or label for what made me stressed and anxious. OCD. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Knowing is part of the battle, and getting through it all can be hell (it certainly was for me).\n\nA California clown with a clown museum that is being held back from opening, Steve, also has OCD. _Fears of a Clown_ documents both his struggles to manage his almost business and his absolute illness, and the experience of watching his antics, issues, and triggers was as exhausting as going through exposure therapy all over again.\n\nIn Steve, the film has a subject as colorful as the paint on his museum and the stains on his clothes. He's kind, very nice, and talkative at a loud volume. It's straight and clear, from the beginning, that his OCD is very severe, repeating words and phrases and doing things in irrational patterns to keep away certain thoughts and images. It's painful and sad to watch, but somehow, through and through, Steve manages enough. Just enough.\n\nFeeling clown-ish? Leave a tip to support indie film criticism.\n\nOn its own, _Fears of a Clown_ is a little pedestrian in parts, using a steady but simple take on cinematography to go about Steve's world. Nothing too bright for a while, but there are spots of intrigue, specifically in the editing and the design, that bring to life the kind of inner pain that most people might not understand.\n\nSteve is a ball of fire and a blast of joy, but is always in danger of easily tripping up in front of others - city leaders, professionals, and customers - due to his behavior. Remember _The Aviator_ with Leonardo DiCaprio as Howard Hughes? \"Wave of the future\" and everything? That's Steve, sans the wealth.\n\nSign up to comment and engage on all reviews!\n\nMany times, I wanted to look away from the screen, feeling as though dry heaving might come along. Was I seeing myself in Steve? Maybe a little. Is Steve long-winded and sometimes grating? Occasionally. A psychologist tries to assist him, but in this one sequence, his leaps and bounds of repetition and compulsive \"rituals\" take over the session to a point of no return. In response, the psychologist, sitting sadly, acknowledges his pain and the weight he must be bearing.\n\nIs _Fears of a Clown_ a horror story for those like me? Not so much, but it definitely gets too familiar and too striking, too often. That's not anyone's fault, however.\n\nIn fact, horror this is not. Comedy this is not. Portrait this is. One that's as complicated as clowns can be. Truly, there's power in this film and its approach. Little charisma but all personality, _Fears of a Clown_ pounds in the very definition of what OCD is and can be for any single individual, and the gravity of the debilitation it can have on enjoying life.\n\nPeople like Steve, no matter how many pratfalls they take, are good to know. Getting to know him, even just a little, might change the course of someone's life. **3.5/5**\n\n _Fears of a Clown_ will be playing at the 25th SF Documentary Festival. Click on the banner below for more information.\n\n## Sincerely Yours in Moviegoing,\n\n## ⚜️🍿",
  "title": "Not Clowning Around, Too Close for Comfort | SF DocFest 2026",
  "updatedAt": "2026-06-01T11:36:32.389Z"
}