To The Bone Analysis

When I first saw the trailer for this film - I was skeptical. The film promised to be 'funny and humane', but the trailer appeared to only show the negatives and depressing parts of having an eating disorder. I was and am grateful that this film in no way 'glorified' anorexia or any other eating disorder or mental illness, however, the trailer at first put me off but really intrigued me at the same time - because it is a film made by people with eating disorders (both the director and lead actor have suffered with an eating disorder in the past) for people with eating disorders in a hope to raise awareness and remind people that they are not alone.

To The Bone is a full length feature film, so I am not doing a full analysis of it, however, as it relates very specifically to one of my themes, I have decided to recognise the different features I would like and wouldn't like to include in my own short film.

The main part of the film that I felt I could draw inspiration from was the family therapy scene, despite how badly it went for the protagonist, Ellen. I really liked how the audience got to see the effect that Ellen's illness had on her whole family, rather than just her as an individual. It was clear that Ellen's mother had in a sense 'given up' in fighting Ellen's eating disorder, as she seemed tired by the different therapies after dealing with and fighting Ellen's illness for so long alone. To most people, the idea that a parent had given up on their child seems unthinkable - which makes the audience realise just how much this family has been put through my Ellen's illness. I specifically liked when Ellen's mother said that her own daughter was 'dying in front of her', because this brings about the truth that if someone does not recover from an eating disorder, the chances are that they will die - either from suicide or malnourishment.

Despite understanding the reason for Ellen's decision to recover may have been the only option for her, I wanted her to realise why she had to recover earlier on in the film either from what her family were telling her or from the events that happened within her inpatient house - in particular the miscarriage. This has made me decide that in my own short film I would like to make the protagonist realise why she needs to recover from listening to the things her family have said about her and the consequences she will face due to her illness. 

The final thing I can draw inspiration from is the film's decision not to include the actual weight of any of the sufferers or mention of their size. I have decided in my work I will use facial expressions to express the protagonist's relationship with her weight instead of showing numbers on a scale or discussing clothes sizes.

My film would also have the same intention as 'To The Bone'; the intention of raising awareness about eating disorders and sufferers and to start a conversation about mental illness, in particular eating disorders - as they are currently something that people feel ashamed of admitting that they have, and I want that to change.

Side Note: I have a full, spoiler filled review here:
https://annabelleargent.blogspot.co.uk/2017/08/to-bone-film-review.html