THIN

Leaving class was the most awkward time I have had this quarter. The elevator was silent, and a normally chatty bunch was left silent. I had previously watched this documentary before, however, this time was different. The first time I was alone at my house, in contrast to in a classroom. Watching people tear up and shudder made it more powerful. It is not the vomiting, feeding tubes, starvation, or skinny bodies that is shocking. The part that really affects viewers is the fact that stars are real people, just like you and me. They are mothers, sisters, daughters, nurses, college graduates, and any other role you can identify with. It is one thing to read an article about the effects of an eating disorder or watch a lifetime movie, but to watch people slowly kill themselves should be difficult for anyone to observe. I’m not going to lie there were parts and people in this film that made me want to scream and also parts that made me want to help people with eating disorders.
Brittany was the character I liked the least. Granted, she was only fifteen when this was filmed, but I have never wanted to smack somebody more in my life. This girl was given the opportunity to help herself, and throughout the film she kept saying how she wanted to try. Yet, at the end, during her meltdown in group, Brittany says she was forced to be there and that she doesn’t want help, she just wants to be thin. I felt like she had just wasted a lot of time and money lying not only to herself but also the people around her. Personally, I think Brittany just wanted the attention, not the actual weight loss. She was so consumed with the pity that people feel for her what I noticed with her was a theme of no love. She felt unloved when her mom didn’t answer the phone on the first call, she wrote “no love” on her art sculpture, and she even said it multiple times throughout the film. This girl clearly has issues, but I believe they lie much deeper than the self-imposed restrictions on her eating. Brittany was set up for failure, and she kept perpetuating that idea. Brittany’s mother has eating issues. As soon as I heard about her chewing and spitting game and how “fun” it was, I was appalled. It is no wonder the girl is so screwed up, her mother sends her mixed messages. She wants Brittany to get better, but at the same time she wants to be smaller than her daughter and not lose her enabling partner. I also wonder what else is going on in the life of that young girl, because her father is not even mentioned. I pity Brittany, but I am bothered by the fact that she always makes excuses and runs away unlike the other girls at Renfew.
Polly was the character that surprised me most. I thought she was the woman who was most likely to make a full recovery. She was so strong minded and seemed like a fighter, which is why it made me sad to read that she had committed suicide. Alisa and Shelly didn’t do much for me. Yes, both their stories were heartbreaking, but neither of them really wanted to get better. They both said one thing and did another. Shelly should not be a nurse, especially in a psychiatric hospital, she should almost be a patient there and the fact that Alisa is in charge of two children also scares me.
I liked this film a lot though because it’s real. There is no filter, there is swearing, puking, vulnerability, and hope. Hope that young girls can watch this and see that eating disorders are not cool, and that they should not be glamorized in the media. I appreciate the fact that these women were so gracious in allowing us to observe them, and I can only hope they are all better, even little Brittany.