AMBER MATTICE
Managing Editor
Whenever a movie or tv show is made about something as sensitive as mental health disorders and struggles, there is a lot of apprehension surrounding it. There is concern for lack of sensitivity, empathy, truthfulness and potential glorification of things that are far less glamorous than they appear to be on screen.
After the Netflix TV show “13 Reasons Why” received a lot of backlash for romanticizing depression and glorifying suicidal thoughts and actions, people were less than enthusiastic about the Netflix original movie, “To The Bone.”
Depicting such sensitive topics is a very difficult process, and they have to be addressed in a way that does not further perpetuate the stigmas surrounding the disorders.
“There are times that some depictions of mental health can be potentially damaging. For example, ‘13 Reasons Why’ was a very controversial series that depicted mental health issues that were not adequately addressed or treated, and did not seem to offer any hope or solutions,” said Joelle Bazaz, a postdoctoral fellow in clinical psychology and counselor in the Health Center on campus.
Directed by Marti Noxon, “To The Bone” stars actress Lily Collins playing Ellen, a 20-year-old girl with a severe eating disorder: anorexia. Teenaged artist and prodigy turned problem-child, Ellen is depicted as being an angsty, angry-at-the-world young woman whose family simply cannot understand her struggle.
Many might assume that this already sounds like a recipe for disaster, especially given the fact that eating disorders, of all types, are rarely talked about and the idea of being thin is overly idealized in 21st century pop-culture.
But here is where Noxon’s film differs from other movies about mental health: both Noxon and Collins struggled with eating disorders when they were younger and put their own experiences and struggles into the movie.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Noxon said, “‘Both Lily and I in deciding to make the movie had to evaluate, well, where are we in our recovery? Are we in a good place to make this? And we both felt really strongly that it was something we wanted to do and that would be good for us.’”
In her recently released biography, “Unfiltered,” Collins talks extensively about her struggle and her road to recovery. Knowing how personal the movie was for both the director and leading actress adds a new level of intimacy and emotion to the film.
In an interview conducted for the Eating Recovery Center, Bonnie Brennan, a certified eating disorder specialist said, “Overall, I am grateful to the artists who made this film. They were courageous to tell this extremely emotional story. The message of not letting eating disorders thrive in secrecy and isolation is brave and important.”
One of the major strengths of the movie is that it shows people struggling with various types of eating disorders and each character is different in race, gender, sexuality and age.
One of the main characters is a boy named Luke. He is a former dancer and has been staying in the recovery center where all of the characters meet, called Threshold, for six months.
To not only have a main character, but a male main character, with an eating disorder is rare and illustrates how progressive and honest the movie is in its portrayal of the various disorders and character dynamics.
That is not to say, however, that the movie does not have its downsides.
Eating disorders are complicated and very individualized and therefore the movie cannot accurately represent everyone’s own experience. There are scenes that many worried would cause relapse, feelings of competitiveness and worsening of disordered eating behaviors that already exist.
“I think there were certainly positive and negative aspects to it. I would warn that for individuals who are currently struggling with an eating disorder, this film may be potentially very upsetting (this is, in fact, warned at the beginning of the movie). This movie may also, at times, reinforce some stereotypes of individuals with eating disorders,” said Bazaz. “That being said, the film is a fairly realistic depiction of a person (Ellen) who is struggling with a severe eating disorder. Eating disorders are complicated and individualized; no two individuals who have eating concerns are exactly the same. So it is important to understand that Ellen’s experiences do not accurately represent all individuals’ struggles. Ellen’s story is painful to watch at times and shows some of the dangerous aspects of disordered eating, as well as some triumphant steps toward recovery. It is a work of fiction that I feel portrays one person’s story in a personal and touching way.”
Despite its existing downfalls, “To The Bone” sheds a much needed light on the stigma around eating disorders and opens up the conversation around something that affects a countless number of people.
Even on campus, concerns around body image, weight and disordered eating are prevalent and exist among many students. Though it is hard to say how many students, exactly, are affected by those mental disorders, the Counseling Center offers help and consultation to those who are struggling or are concerned for a friend.
Help can be reached by stopping in to 15 LoGrasso Hall or calling the office at (716) 673-3424; students can also call the National Eating Disorder Association hotline at (800) 931-2237.