Decades ago, anxiety was a niche diagnosis, something that few would openly admit to. Now anxiety permeates the culture like water — flowing outward from political and climate crises, from current events like the pandemic, and from economics (as in the term "economic anxiety"). To Gen Z, anxiety isn't the exception: It's the norm.
This is one of the main premises of "Anxious Nation," a new documentary from filmmaker Vanessa Roth being released May 5th digitally and in theaters. Anxiety isn't merely internal and individual; it's a social problem, something the documentary makes quite clear through its interviews with the anxious. Indeed, if you count yourself among them, there are some scenes here that might unsettle you as they effectively demonstrate to the viewer what an anxiety attack feels like.
