Directed by Rachel Carey, Good Thoughts follows a young college student attempting to rebuild her life on campus after surviving a severe mental health crisis. Navigating classes, social dynamics, and lingering trauma, her journey back to normalcy highlights the subtle, often overwhelming weight of recovery in a competitive academic environment.
Not long after the film hit my radar at Tribeca Festival, independent dramedy Good Thoughts premiered at Dances With Films Festival on June 28. Making its New York premiere at SOHO International Film Festival just days ago, the film continues its festival run in November with a screening at Reading FilmFest.
A central conflict in the film is May’s (Laurel Toupal) deeply strained relationship with her mother, Annie (Lisa Roumain). Rather than serving as a comforting source of support, her mother’s anxious (well-meaning, but overbearing) constant outreach and projection create an environment of guilt and pressure. This strained dynamic accentuates May’s sense of isolation, illustrating how familial micromanagement can inadvertently deepen emotional distress during vulnerable periods.
The story emphasizes the critical importance of community in mental health recovery. As May gradually integrates into a new group of friends on campus, she discovers that healing doesn’t occur in isolation. Leaning on peer support and genuine human connection helps her establish boundaries, process her emotional responsibility, and find an authentic path toward stability.
The film is a project that hits close to home for Carey, as her family has dealt with depression across multiple generations. Based on her own experiences, two vitally important themes are explored in the film: the notion of helping those who’ve lost the ability to receive help, and supporting those in crisis who withdraw from plain sight. We see this onscreen through May’s friendship with Hildy (Emma Raini) and relationship with Eli (Ben Larson).
Part of returning to campus meant meeting with a mental health professional, or in this case, a staff member whose heart was in the right place. Feeling left to fend for themselves, May and her fellow students decide to band together and support themselves away from the school’s administration. Their frustrations were understandable, as not even the school knew how to properly manage such a delicate situation. Returning to college after missing a semester, for whatever reason, is difficult for a plethora of reasons. Getting by in such a delicate mental state would only be exacerbated after discovering that the wrong answer to “Are you ok?” would see you removed once again. The rigid posture of an institution that’s supposed to care for its students only made the load heavier for the students to bear.
Good Thoughts gets an 8.5 out of 10. The film resonates deeply with today’s cultural climate, where young adults face unprecedented pressure to project perfection while quietly managing burnout and mental health struggles. It’s an excellent film that appeals to today’s youth and reinforces the need for more resources and understanding surrounding mental health struggles.
Good Thoughts is currently at the SOHO International Film Festival.
-Jon Jones
Country: USA
Director: Rachel Carey
Cast: Laurel Toupal, Ben Larson, Emma Raimi, Lisa Roumain, Mike Bash, and Gramme Sowell
Runtime: 109 mins
Trailer: Watch
U.S. Release Date: June 28, 2026