HEROES GET REMEMBERED BUT LEGENDS NEVER DIE

ABOUT the film:  "Heroes Get Remembered But Legends Never Die" is a documentary about the life and legacy of John Cleaver Kelly, who took his own life just before his 25th birthday, after more than a decade struggling with OCD and BDD (Body Dysmorphic Disorder, a related condition). This powerful documentary takes us on a journey through John's battle with OCD and BDD through his personal journals, as well as family and friends' accounts. 

The filmmaker, John Tessitore, wasn’t just a friend of Kelly’s, they were kindred spirits — John Tessitore also has OCD. Tessitore’s connection to Kelly was profound and the loss of his good friend was devastating. Tessitore now has a new personal mission: moving forward from the emptiness and grief he faced at the loss of Kelly by raising awareness of OCD, helping to ensure people get into proper treatment, and find a way prevent others from Kelly’s eventual fate. He shows Kelly as a hero whose life and legacy inspired friends, family, and a community to end the stigma of OCD forever.

WATCH the film (22 min) on YouTube.

DISCUSS the film:  After you watch the film, return here to join in the discussion at the bottom of this page.

REVIEW by Janet Singer (parent of son with OCD) at ocdtalk 9/3/12:  It has been over a month since the 2012 International OCD Foundation Conference, but one particular presentation I attended still easily brings tears to my eyes. In “OCD in the Media: The Opportunities and the Challenges,” John Tessitore discussed and presented his moving documentary film.

I highly recommend watching this tribute to the filmmaker’s lifelong friend. He suffered from severe OCD centered around hyper-responsibility. Many of his friends said they had no idea of the extent of his pain. He hid it well. John Kelly’s parents attended this session, and I found their strength and compassion inspirational.

This film has many sides to it. There are interviews with John’s close friends and his loving and supportive parents, and from these we get to know this amazing young man. We are privy to John’s thoughts and feelings about his OCD through excerpts taken from his many journal entries. What affected me the most were all the clips of John: happy, smiling, and full of life. The way he was when OCD loosened its grip. The way he should have always been. The way he should still be.

Though he fought courageously against the tyrant who is OCD, he ultimately lost the battle. If you think OCD is a cute, quirky, trendy disorder, please watch this film. And we all need to keep fighting against OCD however we can, so that no more movies like this will have to be made.

DISCUSS the film (in comments section below):