We all go a little mad sometimes, right? Okay, maybe not in the Billy Loomis sense, but I’ve certainly had moments when I’ve let my thoughts get to me. Pressure in school, pressure at work and pressure at home all collide to create this whirlwind of emotion. However, regardless of how out of control those times might make me feel, I’ve never gotten the urge to do what Craig (Keir Gilchrist) does in It’s Kind of a Funny Story.

Based on Ned Vizzini’s novel, the film focuses on Craig, a typical teen who’s drowning trying to manage the pressure of the expectations or his prestigious high school as well as his parents, which are so intense they make him fear he’s suicidal. Hoping he can get a quick fix, Craig opts to head over to Argenon Hospital for psychiatric help. The doctor makes due on Craig’s wish and admits him, but not for the day as Craig thought. It turns out, the hospital has a strict five-day minimum. During his stay Craig meets a handful of interesting characters like his self-proclaimed mentor, Bobby (Zach Galifianakis), and another teen patient, Noelle (Emma Roberts).

Even with the gloomy subject matter, It’s Kind of a Funny Story is packed with laughs and that’s exactly what made an impression on Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. They had so much fun reading Vizzini’s book, they knew making the movie would be a blast, as would the resulting experience for audiences. Still, making the movie was no easy task. Boden and Fleck opted to include flashback scenes as well as animation to further make the viewer feel as though he or she is in Craig’s head. Find out all of the details on that and more in the video interview below.

By Perri Nemiroff