How apropos to watch Finding Joe, a new film showing how relevant and essential mythologist Joseph Campbell’s work is today, a day after finally watching Midnight in Paris. Just as Gil, the lead character in Woody Allen’s romantic comedy that was released in June, reminded moviegoers about the importance of following one’s heart, Finding Joe takes the message a step further in a delightful and emotional way that urges viewers to follow their bliss.

Written and directed by Patrick Takaya Solomon, Finding Joe, which opens in L.A. today with a national rollout to follow, is a narrative on how to live a full and realized life. Campbell died of esophageal cancer in 1987 at the age of 83 but his messages live on and are interspersed on screen in text throughout the film. 

The film features deeply personal interviews with visionaries from a variety of fields, including Deepak Chopra, professional skateboarder Tony Hawk, surfer Laird Hamilton, actress Rashida Jones, screenwriter Akiva Goldsman (A Beautiful Mind), bestselling author and educator Sir Ken Robinson, Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke, Fleetwood Mac founder Mick Fleetwood and Joseph Campbell Foundation president Robert Walter.

Charming and amusing enactments of classic tales by a group of children kids and clips of movies as varied as Spartacus, Star Wars, The Matrix and Rocky that map the hero’s journey—the essential pattern or “monomyth” Campbell saw at the heart of the world’s numerous myths and narratives -- are woven throughout to help present an emotional, educational and empowering film.

“Follow your bliss” was a phrase often used by Campbell. The film navigates the stages of what Campbell called The Hero’s Journey: the challenges, fears, the dragons, the battles, and the return home as a changed person.

The interviewees tell of their journeys. For instance, philosopher and entrepreneur Brian Johnson recounts a traumatic time in his life when he decided he didn’t want to be a part of the corporate culture. He dropped out of law school, burned his résumé, ended a five-year relationship, and moved back in with his mother. After months of languishing, he took up coaching Little League—a passion he’d always wanted to pursue. From there, riding the Internet wave, he hatched an idea to serve families and amateur sports leagues by creating a company that today builds websites for millions of teams. 

“Magical things happen that we couldn’t have imagined,” says Johnson, who has since created a string of successful companies. In Campbell’s terms, he had answered “the call to adventure”—a key stage of the hero’s journey.

Goldsman tells of the anguish he suffered as a result of being abused as a child but also of the wisdom that came from facing that dragon. “From that most difficult thing also came a kind of understanding,” he says. “It’s not what happens to us; it’s what we do with it.” And

Fleetwood tells how he left school to pursue his love of drumming, or in other words, followed his bliss. “It’s not about being successful, it’s not about feeding your family,” he says.

Generations of artists and writers, including Bob Dylan, Jim Morrison, Stanley Kubrick, George Lucas and Jerry Garcia, were influenced by Campbell’s seminal work, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, which was published in 1949. Add Solomon to the list. “Joseph Campbell’s work has influenced every major turning point in my life, including my decision to become a director,” Solomon says.

Finding Joe is a wonderful way for Solomon to show his gratitude.