The drama film Breathing Happy was announced on April 16, 2021, when filming began around Tampa, Florida and Los Angeles, California.[2] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, principal photography was moved from L.A. to Florida, where filming took place mainly in the childhood house of writer and director Shane Brady, located in Palm Harbor, Florida.[1] As a result, various locations in the screenplay were removed and the script was rewritten to model the house.[1]
In creating the film, Brady said that he "didn't want to tell a literal story of addiction, with a logical, linear flow because when it comes to drugs, nothing makes sense."[3] He also described his time as a magician, and how it helped him "tell this story in a way no one else could", and explained that the film was his "artistic interpretation of my family's struggles with addiction" as a "jumbled popcorn machine of emotions and points of view hopefully bringing about healing for other families struggling with addiction."[3]
During post-production, the film score was composed by Christopher Dudley from the American rock band Underoath.[2]
