9 movies about eating disorders

Many people with an eating disorder are not aware of the illness. Furthermore, it is also usually very difficult for the environment to admit that there is a problem when it is in its early stages: a considerable deterioration must have occurred in the person for them to begin to give importance to what is happening. On the other hand, if there is something we have left over today, it is information; The problem is that not everything is true, which in the end ends up generating confusion.

Experts indicate that the general population’s knowledge about eating disorders is deficient; since, as with other mental pathologies, misinformation, prejudices and stereotypes are mixed without delving into the true roots of the disease.

It is important to become aware of this problem, trying to avoid prejudices or stereotypes. A good way to do this is by watching movies about eating disorders. We hope that the following works on the big screen make you reflect on the case.

1. To the Bone (2017)

to the bones It is current and we can find it at Netflix. This audiovisual work stars Lily Collins, who tells the experience of a girl, Ellen, who suffers from severe anorexia.

Ellen decides to enter a center with a rather unconventional doctor. A peculiar professional who will propose several challenges that will make her gradually gain self-confidence, understanding with them that her identity is much more complex than what she can deduce from the parts of her body figure that she He doesn’t like them.

2. For the Love of Nancy (1999)

Based on a true story and starring Tracey Gold (one of the first celebrities in confessing their eating disorders), this film provides a vital and very necessary experience when it comes to raising awareness in society about this problem.

Along these lines, the portrait of the obsessive-compulsive disorder associated with anorexia that the protagonist, Nancy, suffers from, becomes especially hard for the viewer. Just as it also becomes bitter to be a visual witness of the suffering that not only the patient goes through, but also those around her who are most dear to her.

3. Bad habits (2005)

Directed by Simón Bross, this film Mexican It is a social criticism of the imposition of beauty canons accepted by society.. With the aim of opening the mind and alerting the population about this type of toxic thoughts, viewers delve into the life of a family with different eating disorders. In the film:

Matilde has left her medical career to enter a convent. There, she decides to start a fast in order to save humanity, because she thinks that the second flood is coming. In this line, Elena (an extremely thin woman) is ashamed of the fatness of her daughter Linda; so he tries, at all costs, for her to lose weight. On the other hand, Gustavo, Elena’s husband, cheats on her with a student called “la goribuena”, who finds such a degree of pleasure with food that she acts as a This is almost a ritual.

4. An almost perfect daughter (1981)

Critics maintain that this was the first time that the public had the opportunity to learn through the big screen about an eating disorder that forced the protagonist to vomit every time she ate, to exercise at dawn or to cry due to gaining weight. when he barely weighed 37 kg.

For a time that was already beginning to become aware of the distorted image of beauty, the visualization of This film was very important to start staying alert for any possible indication.

5. Innocence, Interrupted (1999)

Interrupted innocence is a 1993 memoir written by American author Susanna Kaysen. In the book, recounts his experiences as a patient in a psychiatric hospital in the 1960s.

Her story was brought to the cinema by Angelina Jolie and Winona Ryder, those in charge of giving life to the protagonists who suffer from anorexia, bulimia and other disorders that are capable of appearing, more frequently, in adolescence.

6. Shared Secret (2000)

The obsession with thinness and the dangers hidden in eating disorders are the themes on which this revolves. TV movie American directed by Katt Shea. Thus, the pressure to please others takes its toll on Beth, a model teenager who ends up being helped by her mother, a child psychologist, to combat bulimia.

This cinematographic work is not only perfect for delving into the interior of people who have this problem, but it also represents a possible escape route for all daughters and sons who are beginning to develop it. Along these lines, parental support and understanding should be mandatory during the healing process.

7. Abzurdah (2015)

This is a dramatic Argentine film that is based on the autobiographical novel of the same name by the famous writer Cielo Latini; who relates, through print, her own life experience.

Without a doubt, the work does not leave anyone indifferent; Proof of this was the description that Editorial Planeta gave about it, cataloging it as “the disturbing story of a teenager.” Along these lines, Cielo is a student who meets a man nine years older on the Internet with whom she obsessively ends up falling in love, but The relationship becomes increasingly toxic until, little by little, it destroys itself.

8. Hunger to the limit (2015)

Another film about eating disorders is Hunger to the limit. This It focuses on those support groups that emerge on the Internet to, apparently, help these types of patients.

During the development of the story, the viewer can appreciate how an innovative and much-needed point of view is offered; Its main theme is the danger of not having qualified people on digital platforms to treat a disease that plays with the mind and body.

Unfortunately, this is what the protagonist of the film will experience. Hannah, A dancer with anorexia accesses these groups of chatwhich causes the disorder to have devastating consequences Too much faster.

9. Lie in the mirror (2003)

A good film of social criticism regarding such a serious topic, since It focuses on a toxic family relationship that directly affects health.

A mother’s terrible obsession with perpetuating unattainable beauty makes her daughters feel extremely pressured, to the point of becoming insecure girls who end up developing anorexia problems to remain thin. Irremediably, the consequences will end up being very serious.

The importance of acting

Eating disorders are not fiction, they are real and appear especially at the earliest ages. In this sense, these films are a good option to learn about the problems that occur, their symptoms and their possible causes.

If you think that someone close to you may be going through it, act as soon as possible and don’t let any more time pass. In these cases, asking for professional help to tackle the problem from the root can be vital. On the other hand, if you want to make your children or loved ones aware of this, these recommended options are a great option to prevent and warn (of course, keeping in mind the recommended age for each of them).

You might be interested…