'Introducing, Selma Blair' Trailer: The Actress Gets Raw In This Harrowing Doc

Actress Selma Blair is giving viewers an intimate look at her struggle with multiple sclerosis. She revealed her diagnosis with the debilitating autoimmune disease in 2018, but now the trailer for the documentary about her, Introducing, Selma Blair, is here.

Introducing, Selma Blair was directed by Rachel Fleit, a filmmaker with her own autoimmune disorder. The film documents the highs and lows of the actress' treatment and care, including her stem cell transplant and a terrifying unexpected complication.

"I'm so sorry I can't talk right now," Blair says into a toy phone in the trailer. "We're shooting the final days of my life."

That line is a trademark example of Blair's sharp sense of humor, which weaves throughout the more difficult scenes in the trailer. She admits at the beginning that she feels like she's on a reality show, and explains why she decided to take control of the public narrative around her health. She didn't want symptoms of her MS to be misinterpreted as drinking or drug use, which was entirely possible in gossip tabloids.

Blair tells her story with both fire and vulnerability, showing us the painful experience of her medical treatment and the decision to undergo the complicated stem cell transplant. That decision would mean aggressive chemotherapy treatment and the transplant, followed by isolating in the hospital for weeks without her son. It's a harrowing, vulnerable look at her journey. It was important to Blair that she be in control of her story, and she wanted to break down myths and societal fears about disability and mortality.

"I had the conviction of thinking I had something to share," Blair told Vanity Fair. "You keep opening windows or closing doors and finding tools. I hope my little life gives someone who needs it some hope or a laugh or more awareness of ourselves. I hope the film shows that MS varies. That people's strengths and weaknesses vary. All the emotions of life make healing variable, too. For all of us."

"My objective was to show a different way of being in the world, but also to show a woman who fully embraces herself," Fleit added. "That, to me, is the most inspiring thing — because it kind of just feels like that's all we've got. We're born into this body, and this is the one we have. What are we going to do?"

Introducing, Selma Blair will release in theaters October 15, 2021, before becoming available for streaming on Discovery+ on Oct. 21, 2021.