Léa & I, a documentary written and directed by current nonfiction writing student Camille Shooshani, premiered on Netflix on August 2, 2019. The documentary follows the lives of Léa Moret, a young woman diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, and her best friend, Camille Shooshani. After graduating from college in Los Angeles, the duo traveled through Latin America searching for a cure for Moret’s disease outside of traditional Western medicine options. The coming-of-age documentary explores unconventional, holistic treatments, the power of travel, and the importance of friendship in the face of a daunting diagnosis.
“This is my best friend Lea. Lea speaks five languages, cannot stop eating Haribo candy peaches and has cystic fibrosis, which means her life expectancy hovers around 37,” Shooshani says in the trailer. “But, she’s fine. She’s more than fine actually. She’s more alive than anyone I’ve ever met.”
In an interview with Refinery29 about the documentary, both Moret and Shooshani addressed what they hoped audiences might take away from Léa & I:
Moret answered, "I hope that people just trust themselves, and know that they can find the courage to do things. Ask yourself deeply what you want to do, and trust that somehow you can try to get there. It’ll never look how you imagined it, but on the way you’ll find magic in your life." Shooshani followed, saying, "Yes, there is something so beautiful in trust — trusting yourself, trusting another person. And this is what we tried to show of our own journeys within the film: Two people who have some issues but decide to go confront and deal with them together. Friendship is such a profound medicine and you don’t have to be alone."
Moret is a Belgian-French writer, producer, and actress, who co-wrote and produced the documentary Léa & I after graduating from the University of Southern California.
Shooshani co-wrote and directed Léa & I, she also starred in the documentary. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Southern California and is currently pursuing her MFA in nonfiction at Columbia University.
