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Eating Disorders in Movies and Television
To the Bone
To the Bone has been hyped up beyond existence by the general public as the end-all, be-all eating disorder film. While I would argue that the movie still struggles with the romanticizing issue that plagues the eating disorder community, I was impressed with the brevity of topics presented. The movie focuses on a woman's journey through residential treatment, where she meets a surprisingly diverse mix of all weights and disorders. Before I was personally diagnosed, it never occurred to me that people with eating disorders make up all shapes and sizes...a concept I don't think much of the public has grasped. It's nice to see some of these misconceptions challenged in this movie.
Skins
This British show does not focus entirely on eating disorders themselves, but does have a story line following a girl with anorexia. While Cassie's battle with anorexia is severely romanticized and dreadfully pierced with comedic one-liners, I found her character to be very relatable. The show doesn't take anorexia too seriously, which is both a pleasant and worrying change from the usual "this disorder could kill you" tactic that many shows employ. Though it's nice to relieve some of the consistent pressure surrounding anorexia, remember why you're seeking recovery. Eating disorders are not as glamorous as Skins makes them out to be.
Thin
Thin is a documentary that follows four women throughout their treatment at a Florida eating disorder treatment center. The film does not go into detail regarding how eating disorders develop, but it does do a great job capturing residential treatment and works wonders on destigmatizing EDs. Plus, it has received a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, so if you can't take my word for it take it from the experts.
Red Band Society
I have a love-hate relationship with Red Band Society. On the one hand, the character with anorexia, Emma Chota, does a beautiful job representing anorexia as a life-consuming disorder. The show is packed with emotionally-charged scenes that I feel accurately portray the struggle which many of us all know too well. My only issue with this depiction, however, is the detailed demonstration of how Emma regularly attempts to trick her doctors into believing she has returned to a healthy weight. For that, I must caution anyone currently struggling with their recovery to divulge from watching if tactics like these trigger you.
Binge
This is one of the only movies I have personally come across that directly looks at BED, bulimia, and binging episodes. Binge is a comedy, however, it gives a very blunt perspective and doesn't shy away from presenting the intersectionality of mental illness and eating disorders.
Emma Wants to Live
This is a sad movie, but it's an important movie. Emma Wants to Live documents the life and death of an 18 year-old girl named Emma. It profoundly works against the false understanding that victims choose to live with an eating disorder, and reinforces the confusion and desperation victims face. With that being said, this movie is not for the faint of heart. The fact that Emma essentially documented her own demise is disturbing and indescribably painful to watch, but if you want to truly face the reality of eating disorders, this is the place to start.
FEMMEFille
FEMMEFille is similar to Emma Wants to Live in the sense that it consists of self-documented segments of the life and death of a victim of anorexia. This victim in particular is one of the most prominent faces of anorexia, Isabelle Caro. Caro's nude photos were passed from nation to nation to remind people of the harsh realities of eating disorders as part of the NO-Anorexia campaign. As realization hit that she would likely die from her disorder, she decided to conduct numerous interviews on the complexities of her disease. The interviews, while sad, are incredibly powerful and can be observed at their best in FEMMEFille.