Cuddle Me (2021)

In early 2019, filmmaker Jason O'Brien was dealing with a great deal of personal stress and heartbreak. He had divorced his wife of 23 years the previous year, alienated his daughter because of the divorce, and had recently seen the end of a 2 1/2 year relationship with a woman who he thought he was meant to be with forever. At one of the darkest times of his life, he remembered how during a previous stressful time of his life, his journeys to make his documentary film Cuddle ended up saving his life. He felt there was more to say about the cuddle movement in the years since the first film, and bravely turned the camera around on himself to document a very painful and personal journey to heal. His travels in the summer of 2019 took him to Virginia, Chicago, Florida, Los Angeles, and New York City. There were so many new people now involved in the cuddle movement (Cuddle Sanctuary, Cuddlist, and more), and his desire: to tell their story, while they help him tell his. The brand new documentary "Cuddle Me" picks up after the introduction of the cuddle services in the first film, and shows one person's journey of healing that can be had in one of the most talked about and controversial human movements ever.