​​Inside the Making of The Threshing Floor: A Documentary Forged by Faith, Friendship, and Filmmaking Grit

The Threshing Floor is not your typical addiction recovery documentary. It doesn’t lean on dramatized tropes or formulaic redemption arcs. Instead, it operates as a deeply personal excavation of pain and purpose built not just on story, but on the raw relationships that brought it to life.

The film follows the real-life transformation of Tim Arrigo, a former addict who became a clinical counselor, and whose past has become his most powerful therapeutic tool. But the story behind the camera is just as compelling as the one unfolding on-screen.

Director Brad Alexander had known Tim since they were kids growing up in Orange County, California. That longstanding connection gave the project a level of emotional access that might have otherwise taken years to establish. Alexander’s background wasn’t in documentary filmmaking he came from the world of street skating, punk rock, and commercial production. But it was that nontraditional path that equipped him to shoot something grounded, unpredictable, and real.

Much of The Threshing Floor was shot on location in places where both men had grown up: old skate parks, high school parking lots, even the site of the car crash that nearly killed Tim. The production wasn’t confined to polished sound stages or curated sets. It unfolded in real time, in real spaces, with all the unpredictable messiness that entails.

That aesthetic wasn’t a creative flourish it was a philosophical choice. Alexander’s years in DIY subcultures had taught him to read a room fast, move intuitively, and trust what was unfolding. These instincts proved essential in capturing the moments that mattered most, especially when the narrative evolved in ways no one expected.

One major shift occurred when Tim opened up about his friend Kevin, one of the first people he lost to an overdose. As the team brought Kevin’s story into the film via interviews with his family it became clear this wasn’t just Tim’s narrative anymore. It was also a tribute to those who didn’t survive. Kevin’s sequence remains one of the film’s most affecting moments, and it cemented the team’s commitment to telling a broader, community-driven story about loss, healing, and hope.

Producer Reed Stoecker helped shepherd the project from an idea into a fully realized production. His unique background in the tech and startup world turned out to be an unexpected asset. His ability to manage logistics, navigate fast-moving environments, and build authentic relationships helped keep the project both grounded and scalable.

With Stoecker’s support, the team was able to push past many of the hurdles that derail passion projects budget constraints, scope creep, and distribution challenges without sacrificing the film’s integrity. His presence also ensured that the emotional weight of the story never came at the expense of its operational momentum.

Spirituality plays a central role in The Threshing Floor, not as an add-on, but as the spine of the story. The team knew from the beginning that they weren’t just making a film about recovery they were making a film about resurrection. That conviction permeated every decision, from how scenes were structured to how grief, forgiveness, and purpose were portrayed.

What results is a film that feels as personal to the creators as it does to the audience. The journey behind the camera was filled with revisited trauma, unexpected healing, and the kind of transformation that couldn’t be scripted.

While Tim Arrigo may be the film’s central figure, The Threshing Floor is ultimately a story about what happens when a group of people come together with the courage to be honest, the tools to build something from scratch, and the faith to believe it might change lives. It’s a film born of friendship, rooted in real pain, and delivered with a level of sincerity that’s rare in the genre.

The result isn’t just a documentary it’s a deeply human artifact. And its impact may only just be beginning.