The biggest problem with "To The Bone"

[@AzjatyckiCukier]

I got the impression that the opening of the movie pokes fun at the idea people have, that anorexia is a beauty standard induced issue - they dismantle it later on, going deeper into the why and how. My interpretation was that the girls in the first clinic were not receiving professional help, that would truly explore their issues, instead they would talk about cake and miracle diets and blame the world for their predicament. You latched to the idea, because that is exactly what most people think of anorexic girls - poor,vain creatures mangled by the media induced beauty standards, and the movie tries to show that it has nothing to do with beauty, but is a pile up of multiple problems and experiences. For the movie to even try and "explain" why the other inhabitants of the house have eating disorders, would require them to simplify and trivialize the answers - when the whole movie is about the idea, that there never is a single simple reason why people fall to such extremes. I think it's pretty bold to announce the movie as an unrealistic portrayal of a severe and highly lethal disorder... I think the whole point of it was to showcase how complex those issues are. I am not saying it's a great movie - the whole scene of "art will set you free" was ridiculous and unnecessary IMO. Some moments felt rushed, while some dragged. But it was pretty solid on the message, that there is no one simple way to explain or cure anorexia.

[@ragazzopigro97]

Azjatycki Cukier preach! (even if I liked the art scene...)

[@PurpleSy]

Exactly!!! I recovered from anorexia a few years ago and I still cringe when people act as if anorexia has anything to do with media whatsoever. It's a trauma-induced mental illness. Maybe the external world plays some part in why it starts, but it's not the core issue at all. If someone with unresolved trauma didn't develop anorexia, they would probably develop some other kind of issue, maybe drug addiction, bipolar disorder, OCD, etc. Even if the media didn't show ANY skinny girls at all, there would still be thousands and thousands of girls with an eating disorder, because it's internal. It's a form of getting back control. It's an addiction, the brain gets addicted to the adrenaline released when you don't eat (which happens because of survival instinct: you must have an adrenaline kick to have the energy you aren't getting from calories, to hunt something to eat.)

[@PurpleSy]

One more thing, I really think this movie is a great portrayal of what anorexia is like. I cried a lot watching this, specially the scene with her mother. I watched it with my mom and I started thinking how much I hurt her back then, how hopeless she might have felt watching her daughter dig her own grave right in front of her.

[@gaiaformentin7394]

might be but my anorexia has everything to do with media standards and years of bullying.

[@hopeidontgetcopyrighted4286]

The movie tends to be very unrealistic in the portrayal of how eating disorder clinics are conducted. No eating disorder clinic just let's you choose to eat or not. There was a girl hiding her vomit under the bed (which was extremely triggering because that was one of the only things in the movie that was realistic to me), the other girl that they knew was still throwing up every night and didn't do anything about it, and the constant discussions of behaviors and how to get all the vomit out. No eating disorder clinic would let you do anything like that. It's ridiculous! Where's the dieticians, the therapists, or at least some support for during and after the meals? It truly disgusted me to see how this movie went.

[@Drawcandy]

anorexia and body dysmorphia aren't the same thing. they're two separate diagnosis, body dysmorphia is an anxiety disorder and anorexia is an eating disorder. it's not an accurate representation of body dysmorphia because she doesn't have body dysmorphia.

[@acusemplectic288]

exactly. the author of this video has zero clue about eating disorders. or anxiety disorders.

[@YAHBUDDY32]

PREACH IT

[@rockbeauty3439]

I was wondering why he kept saying body dysmorphia and not an eating disorder.

[@rust44]

Thank you. Many anorexics aren’t trying to look like fashion models. Anorexia is a mental illness, weight loss is a side effect.

[@alice-in-wonderland5900]

She kinda does have it in my opinion.. Ellen keeps checking if she can close her fingers all the way on her arm, and every time she sees she can she gets really anxious until she eventually can

[@ruthlynam7380]

I feel like we watched two different movies. I didn't think the other ED sufferers were not explored, just not as thoroughly explored as Eli. Luke worked in the ballet, then was injured. He felt so out of control of his body and future that anorexia was able to take hold of him. There's a character who is pregnant and is in treatment specifically to help save her baby. The other characters have multiple references to their own specific disorders, and the behaviors that they do, many of which are not often shown in the media but are very common (hiding vomit in bags, chewing and spitting, use of laxatives, smelling food instead of eating, excessive exercise). They also have distinct personalities, despite not being the main focus of the film. I thought it was a creative choice for Eli to not want to talk about the girl who committed suicide, because she was horrified by herself and the consequences of her art. Of course she doesn't want to talk about it. It is referenced many times, and the guilt she associates with it. It takes a highly emotional situation for her to admit what she feels is her fault, and admit that she sees it as her fault. One of my favorite parts of the movie was when Eli chose to leave the house (and Luke) despite his insistence that he needed/loved her. It's a common trope in Hollywood and in YA books that a troubled young man is only saved once he finds this 'perfect' girl. It would be very easy for an extreme perfectionist (like Eli and many other sufferers of EDs) to give into that kind of attention, so that their perfectionism could be temporarily sated, and their inner pain numbed. Instead, Eli leaves that short-term 'solution' behind, and travels to her mother and step-mom. The ending sequence, although confusing in some aspects, did portray the hallucinations that a person on the brink of death may see. At the end of the sequence, Eli's mind confronts her with the reality that she either chose to ignore or couldn't process before - that her ED will kill her if she continues the way she is now. Her choice to be fed by her mother, and to return to the treatment house shows a significant moment in any ED-sufferer's life: when the individual chooses to start the journey to recovery. She is in no way cured, she is not healthy, she will still struggle and she may even relapse. But accepting that you WANT and NEED help is the most important step towards life.

[@zimpsonsp]

I understand your criticism, but i can`t get over the fact that you re not looking or understanding very well at the ending. She didn`t just "got over" the anorexia, she got to a point so low (on her near death experience) in wich she realized that there wouldn t be no future on his toxic path, that is why she came back to rehab. It is not a "miraculous" cure of her disease, she has a log way to go before things get better. I think the movie does a fair enough job on portraying some of the struggles of an anorexic patient, and gives a message of hope to all of those on the same position.

[@mikiyu5914]

zimx Herrer I didn't like the ending. They hyped up the feel good music and ended with her smiling. That part seemed too generic of an ending for me, but that's just my critic. I liked the movie overall.

[@driathewifeofAgatha]

Miki Yu It's based on the writers life. Of course it had a happy ending, the woman is still here and is thriving.

[@hana-qs3xj]

wait, how did she not have a real form of anorexia? she literally fit the diagnosis (underweight and still trying to lose weight).

[@hana-qs3xj]

I do understand where you're coming from, but everybody experiences mental illness differently. My eating disorder developed because I was very depressed and I was too afraid to ask for help, so I thought that maybe if I became sick enough people would care about me. I wanted to make people who had "wronged" me feel guilty for what they did. A lot of people I've known with eating disorders said that they felt very similarly. I'm not saying the movie was good/super accurate, but as someone who has been dealing with an ED for most of my life, it was very similar to the experiences I've had. Yes, anorexia is a mental disorder, but the irrational thoughts and urges still have to come from somewhere. For a lot of people, that "somewhere" is an urge to lose weight and be more attractive, but sometimes it's also because they want attention. That doesn't make their mental illness invalid or fake. I do agree that 13 reasons why sucked though, lol.

[@lulue.5655]

Supernaturally American eating disorders are to be looked at on a spectrum. If in fact she wanted to initially change for attention but eventually got to the point of obsession (which she obviously was) then it still becomes a problem and a real dangerous one. This is only assuming that what you are saying is correct, because I didn't see her doing this as a cry for attention. She wanted control, thats what triggered her ED, not attention. The fact that she couldnt even recognize herself when she was looking above herself (towards the end) tells us that she did in fact have a distorted image of herself and her problem bc she didnt even see how bad her condition was, this is proof that she was in fact ill mentally as well as physically.

[@cassidystrader5989]

This isn't meant to be telling the story of everyone with anorexia, that's impossible. The point is to tell the story of Ellen. Just because Ellen has anorexia, doesn't mean the entire point is anorexia.

[@dunnowy123]

I don't think the film was pushing the "media body image" idea though. To me, it seemed like one girl's explanation for why she is anorexic and why it's hard for her, but for ELLEN it isn't the issue. I think what the movie was trying to do was remind us that people suffer from this disorder for a host of reasons. And while I agree, it would have been nice to learn about the other girls, it was Ellen's story in the end. And nor do I think it's all happy, just a recognition on her part that maybe she should take steps to get better. That's just my interpretation, though. I liked the movie.

[@clickhere2d1e]

As the person above me mentioned, it was based on the writer's personal story, and as someone who also has an eating disorder, and never experienced that sort of mass media body image jealousy that has become synonymous with eating disorders, I _loved_ seeing how Ellen's story played out much like my own. Through a lot of therapy and self discovery, I also learned that my eating disorder came from a desire for control in myself and in my life around me, leaving my weight and my eating habits as one of the most easily accessible means to that end. I was also in complete awe at how a film about such a harsh and difficult subject ended on some sort of hopeful note for the main character, but without ever shying away from some of the heavier stuff. How they never used some of the aforementioned heavier stuff (spoilers: graphic scenes of extreme weight loss, a woman miscarrying her so called "miracle baby" because she didn't know how to stop, her mother's unconventional means to make both of them feel better) as a way of using shock value to get the word spread, like how 13 Reasons Why did. I truly loved the way they portrayed Ellen's eating disorder, whilst showing that these types of things are different for everyone who has them.

[@restlessbohemian]

“It’s not a realistic portrayal of body dysmorphia”...for you. Just because it isn’t relatable to you or realistic to you doesn’t mean that some girls out there might be able to relate to it. Furthermore, this was never intended to be the end all be all of anorexia movie any more than Juno was the end all be all of teen pregnancy movies. Both movies are about one girl in a very difficult situation. Finally, Ellen doesn’t just “get over it” at the end. Rather, she actually decides to get better, which is a much better message for those suffering.

[@msstephanie726]

Also Ellen doesn’t have bdd, she had anorexia.

[@GinaBlythe]

As someone who struggles with anorexia, it did give a VERY real portrayal. I NEVER told anyone my reasons. I let them assume what they wanted. And the ending was perfect. It showed her hope and her willingness to accept help. Recovery will be a lifetime, but when you have that AHA moment, it DOES change your perspective about recovery. Your review shows that you never suffered an eating disorder or knew anyone that has. It was very realistic and, given it was about one young person (based on the experiences of the writer), so knowing the back stories of the other people would have made the film too convoluted and unwatchable. If you think this story is unrealistic, talk to those who have gone through it and you will discover HOW real the movie is...

[@msstephanie726]

I was looking for this comment. It’s not about the reason. We don’t talk about reasons, we don’t like to. It’s about our path to recovery, and most people snap and make an effort to get better.

[@paulinouillessautees]

do your research before doing a video on a movie talking about EDs. In the first scenes, what the are trying to show is that this "magazines and beauty industry bad role models" thing is not what causes anorexia in most cases, but rather, more like ellen, things like loneliness, perfectionism, feeling like you don't have control over your life etc... That's actually exactly why ellen responds harshly to that girl who is saying these things telling her that it is not the "eat the cake but don't get fat" messages that got her anorexic but it's herself and her sickness. Also, the eating disorders of the others, or rather, their origins are not deeply explained, yes but that wasn't the purpose of the movie, as it was more to show how for each and every person, the sickness can be caused by tons of really complex and different things. What these other characters are here for is to show the different ways ED's can manifest themselves, through the different symptoms that we see (indeed some of them are in common, but each character has it's own "mix" of symptoms), like the purging for some of the girls, the not eating for ellen and the boy, the binging for one of them and the excessive physical activity for some of them.. So yes their stories are not more explained, but it is better to show really well how deep it can be rooted for one individual than to show the superficiality of 10 different cases without ever really understanding what the real matter is. ( also this wouldn't make sense either because every person with and ED has different reasons and causes for it so 5 semi deep stories would never tackle even a decent portion of the possibilities..) Regarding the drawings, the girl who wrote ellen the letter was not "a fan of her art and of her eating disorder", what this talks about is all the pro anorexia or pro ana sites, tumblr and instagram pages that you can find that really are a big problem for people suffering from ED's as it gives them advices and tricks to starve themselves better. So what the movie is telling is that ellen, without knowing it was one of these pro-ana influencers and that she was really marked and shocked of having been a part of this without wanting it, as in her case, her anorexia is mostly a loneliness caused and centered illness.. I'm not saying the movie is perfect, but hearing some of the comments you made it just really seemed like you've not experience any mental illness like this one, or even watched documentaries etc to better understand the message of the movie, which was made not for people suffering from EDs but rather for people who don't have a big contact with them so that they can do some research and the subject and be less judgmental about it and not simply say "just eat" to someone suffering from an ED..

[@blkbarbie2671]

This is three years later and you probably won’t see it but oh my god you captured everything I felt watching this reaction, perfectly. I believe Alex is intelligent and I really enjoy his movie reviews; I also didn’t expect any grown men to pay attention to a film about a young woman’s eating disorder, because of how society sees eating disorders (as you said, like a vanity disease). However I disagreed heartily with almost all the points made in this video, and as someone who still struggles somewhat with EDNOS, I couldn’t have put what you said any better myself.

[@algmtkrr8989]

*Spoilers* I guess I was able to accept the ending by seeing it as the first time she was going to commit to getting help. Rather than being a cure, it's just the moment she deviated from her fatal path. But that's just my view, great vid :)

[@NoddingNegative]

Yeah, I totally agree. I thought the ending was actually one of the things the movie did right. Her future is uncertain -- she's going to go through many more ups and downs while trying to help herself. All we know is that now, she's willing to ride out the downs.

[@jupiter6628]

Algmtkrr and that she's finally realized she should get better and needs supportive people and help to do so.

[@hana-qs3xj]

exactly - the first part of recovery is actually making the decision to get better. people can go through the process of recovery repeatedly, but if they aren't willing to give up their eating disorder, then they won't get better.

[@jamesherrington5606]

That was my take too and I've seen it at least 5 times.

[@Redrumandketchup]

Personally, as someone who was actually hospitalized at an inpatient program for 3 weeks, there’s a reason it doesn’t go into much depth in the beginning of BDD or the cake thing, is cause you can’t talk about food, calories, weight, methods, etc. if you do you’ll be punished. Also you failed to mention the almost death scene which is why she goes back

[@blackstar9816]

I disagree. I dont think the film needed to push the "its all the medias fault" message and it wouldve gotten preachy if they kept harping on it. I dont think we needed to know everyones backstory tho i respect your curiosity. I was satisfied w the bits and pieces of character development for each of them. I dont think the movie implied luke was sick just bc plot. Through his mini monologue i understood that the pressure to be a better dancer pushed him to obsess over his figure and become anorexic. I dont think the ending at all implied that she "just got over it" but that she was going to start actually trying after resisting change for the whole movie. I respect your opinion but its disingenuous to say the film is laughable or harmful bc it didnt play out exactly as you wouldve liked

[@VanityDivined]

it would be really pandering to blame the media. And a lot recovered anorexics say that they had an underlying issue within themselves.

[@Drawcandy]

VanityDivined exactly. that and the whole media and anorexia thing has been fucking done to death.

[@PurpleSy]

Yeah. People need to stop with this "OH ANOREXIA HAPPENS BECAUSE OF BEAUTY STANDARDS!!!" bullshit.

[@sunnykelly4448]

Just because it's not the whole isssue doesn't mean it's not part of the issue.

[@sunnykelly4448]

I was responding to the original commentor, not the OP of the video. I understand the OP's criticism because it makes sense, why bring it up if your not going to elaborate?

[@CommanderWaddles]

Either way ya can't blame media anymore for anorexia, it's all about booties & curves now

[@theMoporter]

Step-mothers and daughters don't usually have terrible relationships in real life 😅 it's more a cliché than fact. Ofc that still happens, I'm not friendly with mine.

[@NotAnotherKuromi]

Wait peoples lives aren't a reflection of Disney movies? Its gonna be harder to keep up with the housework now I don't have the help of woodland creatures.

[@NotAnotherKuromi]

5/5 of everyone I know who has parents &/or children have pretty negative relationships when they have self issues. Anyone who has severe mental health & /or emotional problems has strained relationships with loved ones, parents, step-parents, siblings & partners included. In the current climate with the large percentage of blended families it makes sense that there are less problems & more health relationships developed. As well as their being less stigma involved, awareness of how separation & divorce can effect children is spreading, so adding a new family member should be approached with extra sensitivity & care. Now only if people were aware how unhealthy toxic relationships negatively affected children too.

[@mileynick88]

I once had an stepmother (didn't last more than 2 years) and I hated her, she didn't even bother to talk to me, I found her annoying.

[@winterwarbler]

Exactly, I have a step-mom and I love her, not everyone has a bad relationship with their step-parents

[@devanship5803]

winterwarbler same I love my step mom than my own biological mom

[@sarahlikestacos1010]

I dont think it was supposed to be so much a look into all kinds of different eating disorders as much as it was the personal narrative of the director herself and her struggles alone. I also think it was implied that Lukes character had an eating disorder due to the pressure he received from being a ballet dancer, as eating disorders among ballet dancers are really common. At least thats what I had assumed. I honestly wish there was less of the Luke romance dynamic and more of the relationship between Eli and Dr. Beckham. The ending was also very strange to me that she essentially had a hallucinogenic out of body experience and thats what made her decide to go to treatment and take it seriously.

[@sofiasanz2066]

The romance was not necessary, but it showed how ed patients tend to be closed and avoid physical interactions.

[@imogenrenfrey3967]

You seem to keep returning to the whole thing about their "body issues" and the reasons that they have them. This is extremely flawed, as the movie is desperately trying to communicate that eating disorders are not all just about "losing weight" or having body dysmorphia, but it actually goes a lot deeper than that. Also, I think that the film tries to show that there are no specific reasons that one may develop an eating disorder. It is not always as simple as disliking one's body and how they look. If anything, your video just proves that there are still many that don't fully understand the complexity of eating disorders, further emphasising the necessity of these films to shine light and inform others.

[@jordanrambles7127]

I thought the movie was okay, I would have liked it if the other girls didn't feel like a bunch of extras. I did feel the psychiatrist lacked charisma and I don't know if it was intentional but the male patient really got on my nerves - he came off as really arrogant

[@AnoraFan-z1v]

I thought Luke was very annoying and arrogant too, I am not sure if it was intentional though.

[@h3834]

Jaz Wilson the III they didn't get that much screentime probably because someone would get *triggered* that she tried to have a bulimic character even though the writer had never been bulimic

[@jordanrambles7127]

Aka Gray, no it's probably because it's a movie rather than a TV show. If it was a series I think there would be more insight.

[@raechuuu510]

someone else mentioned that they wouldn't have been able to devote enough time to the complex back stories that each person has and it would end up coming across as half assed, so maybe that's why they just wanted to focus in on her experience. I agree it would have been neat to see, but doesn't seem very plausible for them.

[@jordanrambles7127]

Yeah, I understand that, that's why I thought that maybe it would be a cool thing to do in a sequel, really my main issue with the movie was how I found the male patient (forgot his name) came off as smug and pushy. Really I didn't want a romance plot and that's probably why I'm a bit let down.

[@blackstar9816]

(SPOILERS) The only thing i sort of loved and hated was the romance. Bc it was (i hope) purposefully awful. Its a nice break from this cookie cutter bullshit teen drama romance. I was afraid it was going to be "the fault in our stars pt 2". Luke is like... a well meaning asshole. I think a part of him likes to help ppl, but a bigger part just wants to prove that he can bc he likes how it makes him feel. My fav line is when eli calls him out when he says he loves her and she responds that he doesnt love her, he loves the way love makes him feel. I think thats so spot on esp at the end when he tries to prevent her from leaving by saying she cant go bc he has nothing left and he needs her. Like shes some comfort blanket. And she rejects him and (as far as we know) thats it. No life shattering epic love story. Just a disaster relationship that fell apart just as it was supposed to

[@AKATia-sk6xz]

*blackstar98* I agree 101%

[@Igstefano]

What about her dream nearing the end, though? It's all about the two of them together

[@marthasoie]

the dream was more about her finding happiness in herself imo, than her being happy because she was with Luke.

[@superquietbunny]

yes yes yes! i think they handled the romance pretty well, since maybe they had to compromise with having a bit of romance there, and then making sense of it regarding her road to recovery. i mean, they could have focused on the dr and eli’s relationship, but that would imply that only professionals can help? when i think fellow patients help each other better? so luke had to be in her lucid dream because luke really did help her a lot, even if it was mostly for self-serving purposes.

[@gioschirmer9558]

This movie is not about issues with beauty standards. You clearly don't understand what anorexia is and the causes for this eating disorder. It is usually a way of seeking some kind control, just like the main character in the show did. It is also not a new issue, there are many historians that we now know suffered from anorexia way before magazines and media even existed. A great example was the Empress of Austria, Sissi, who almost 200 years ago had anorexia and depression. I loved that this show does not focus on "beauty standards" or blaming anyone for it's existence and simply addresses anorexia as a mental issue.

[@lotsalottie4565]

The reason they don't touch on the whole 'society causes eating disorders' thing, is because it's a load of rubbish. Ellen's experience with how she came to have anorexia isn't extreme or unusual in fact its very common. Childhood neglect and various other deep rooted emotional problems are often the root of eating disorders. The eating disorder becomes a coping mechanism you use to deal with everything. This film portrays that very well, and I think the reason people who haven't experienced an ED are dissatisfied with it is because it's not what they know or expect, a lot of people still believe anorexia is about vanity and wanting to be attractive in society's eyes which is very very wrong. So they expect a film about a young girl dealing with body image troubles due to the media or someone who's obsessive with diets and wanting to be thin, they don't expect a film that delves deep into the dark reality of eating disorders.

[@jaelynnlewis8415]

As someone who had an ED scare, this represented it beautifully to me. Slightly problematic, but mostly beautiful. I did have one eating disorder, BED and the girl eating peanut butter was so relatable, I think it’s subtle but I use to eat it knowing it was healthy fat.

[@AnoraFan-z1v]

First video from Alex I ever disagreed with

[@Charuid]

Keanu is pretty damn hot, though.

[@aliciabell6688]

If he mumbled some words at me I could get over something....

[@freebeerishere]

that was my main criticism of this bideo

[@the_eternal_darkness_8436]

Jaz Nought Fr like people sleepin on my man

[@ginagidaro]

THANK YOU

[@caitiewarner4587]

Hahaha in this sea of paragraphs of well thought out responses this is the first funny thing I stumble upon. Thanks man :)

[@meredithmcdonnell6096]

As a person who is in recovery from anorexia I have a lot of praise for this movie. In the beginning Ellen gets angry at the girl who mentioned the media. Media, for the most part, has no effects on eating disorders. It can cause one to be self conscious but an eating disorder develops out of complex problems. I also find that the ending is very realistic. I’ve hit rock bottom twice in my recovery and that’s the point where you want to recover. She wasn’t merely inspired to get better but she realized that if she did not get better she would die. It’s common amount the ED community to have experiences like this that jumpstart ones recovery

[@maymalvano9635]

maybe the movie could have had a better plot or character development but what really amazed me it's that in the end she doesn't decide to stay in treatment because the guy who fancies her asked her to do that, she doesn't stay for the idea that a potential love will save both. NO. She comes back just later when she decides on her own she is strong enough to do this. This is critical and just so beautiful to see. Saving herself on her own.

[@livih9525]

As someone with an eating disorder this movie does a very good job of showing the struggles of typical anorexia nervosa. Obviously every case is different but I don't think anyone watching this movie thinks these are the only struggles people with eating disorders have. Also, the entire point of her "change of heart" at the end of the movie is not that she is somehow magically better, but that she is willing to actually attempt to recover. Nobody ever says or leaves the impression (IMO) that she is now "fixed" and will never restrict or fast again. The point of showing her going back to the house is the fact that she went back to the recovery facility to actually try to recover for the first time.

[@dangernoodle9961]

Beauty standards aren't the cause of anorexia. My eating disorder has come from a lot of places, but I don't think it ever really came from the media. Yeah, society can help encourage people into an eating disorder, but it's not the cause. I think my eating disorder came from a place of loneliness and no control, feeling unloved, etc. I'm pretty gay (I suppose more bi - idk dude) and I've felt like if I told my family they would be disappointed and blame their parenting. Eating disorders actually ARE about control. That's why this movie focuses on that. Almost anybody suffering from an eating disorder will tell you that they either developed an eating disorder as a coping mechanism to feel in control or because they felt like they would be more loved if they stopped eating. It's a mental Iillness that can't be boiled down to the most obvious external causes. There's a lot more than that in there. People who are mentally well see beauty standards and use healthy dieting methods to achieve them. Eating disorders are deeper. If I just wanted to be thin, I could just eat a normal amount of food every day. But I get high off of hunger because it feels like control and safety.

[@dangernoodle9961]

Also, Ellen definitely did not just "get over it." She saw herself as she truly was. She was at a low to the point where everything was fuzzy and she really she was DYING, that she looked inhuman and disgustingly thin. She realized all of this and that she had to make a change. I don't think the movie was saying that it wasn't going to be hard. she was just saying "I accept this. I am going to get better, no matter what it takes," and the movie ended there. They decided to make the artistic choice of not showing her recovery, but I don't think we were meant to assume that everything was immediately okay afterwards.

[@tokki5585]

Idk why ellen and hannah (from 13 reasons why) have to have a romantic interest or somebody that clearly loves them and is there for them. Its totally not realistic. And it can come off as if you go through this stuff, you will find somebody that cares for them like that in the process. A big reason people even have these issues is because they feel like they are alone or at a point in their life when they want a lover. It makes it seem like "oh if i keep going like this i will find somebody to love me" or "if i start doing this somebody will pay attention to me".

[@PaniACoCo]

She doesn't get over her problems magically, they just show that she is now willing to get help and heal. They don't show an instant recovery from anorexia, they show how she recovers her will

[@neotasci8860]

Dude, she almost died and that’s what made her realize that she either had to get better (or at least try to) or she would die. The movie doesn’t end by saying, ‘’oh she’s all better now guys, she’s gotten over her body dysmorphia issues and she’s recovered’’; it ends by saying that she is going to start recovery, and this time she’s actually admitting herself to a recovery home because she is the one who wants to recover. It’s just the start of the journey and I think it was pretty obvious to the audience that in fact, this was just the beginning.

[@caitlinc-r2957]

I have to say I didn't think the end was very happy because she wasn't cured, she still had a long way to go. And you have no idea if she'll ever manage to recover at all so I thought it was just meant to be ambiguous rather than suggesting her problems were over. It was more like 'and life hasn't ended, but we aren't carrying on with the movie anymore so that's all you get to see, have a fun time speculating'

[@rachelobrien6255]

eating disorders don’t equal body dysmorphia

[@KodokuKyoko]

I don't know why everyone is criticizing this movie on TV and KZbin. That it is a bad representation etc. I think it's real and appropriately made. He is well done and not like the others think. Her life is also messed up and not perfect. She has no real home and commutes between the clinics and the stepmother. She has no courage and is fooling herself. Has no apartment, etc. What is superficial or perfect as others say ? Nothing at all ! I think they themselves have no idea about this disease. Just those who have it. Because they are blinded by it.

[@boo5860]

I think Ellen is supposed to be portrayed as kinda self-absorbed - hence the lack of attention directed toward other people. Personally, as someone who's struggled with anorexia since my teens, I think this was an important movie.

[@katbug930]

i think the ending wasn't just Ellen "getting better just like that". she wasn't cured and there wasn't a hint that she suddenly accepted herself and actually wanted to eat. she wanted help and the ending was her starting her journey to recovery after she accepted she needed it. She wanted death until it came for her and when she realized how scared she was to die that was the moment she wanted to go back. she still doesn't want to eat, or gain weight, or anything because her ED voice is so loud but a small piece of her real voice comes out and wants help even if ED is telling her no.

[@1zippy]

almost all of your points traced back to comparing to the movie to "how it was advertised". did this movie ever claim to be about anorexia in general? i think you should try to judge it as a standalone character movie rather than constantly comparing what the writers & directors made to how a separate advertising team sold it. also, did the ending directly say "She's cured now!", it seems more like she's a reached a turning point on her road to recovery

[@nataszamaria3836]

Keanu Reeves stoic and detached acting is actually quite fitting in my opinion as it fits with the main character’s personality, which is quite sarcastic and self deprecating. The way that Keanu shows that Ellen’s self depreciation doesn’t affect him is the reason why they form such a bond. As for Luke we get to know that he was a dancer, and a ballet dancer at that. It is known that ballet dancers have an extreme pressure to be perfect, which is what I think is implied in the movie as the reason for Luke’s mental state. Another this that I disagree with is the ending. The ending doesn’t show Ellen just getting over it and getting “cured” from her body dysmorphia, but rather that she is ready to fight her problems and not dodge every attempt at help that she gets. I also think that the director and writer chose to just focus on Ellen’s story to get the attention from an audience that is not necessarily affected by any eating disorder, either personally or not. I am quite sure that if they just focused on the eating disorder part, they would have lost the interest of quite a chunk of their audience. Instead they chose to make an emotional connection between Ellen and the viewer for the most impact. As for her battle with anorexia, it is very realistic. Both what she does and how she acts. It is very common for people suffering from anorexia to become withdrawn, sarcastic and self deprecation as a defence mechanism for anyone to get too close to you. Because if people are close to you and care, they want to help and I know personally that they usually either make it worse or have no effect at all as the person that has the eating disorder has to WANT to get better for themselves. Family can of course help, but when it comes down to it, it’s up to the person that has the eating disorder. And as I said earlier, that is what happens at the end. Ellen doesn’t get well, but she decides for herself that she is going to start actively fighting to get better.

[@mikiyu5914]

They will never get it right because people interpret things differently and prioritize things differently. I don't know the actor that played the doctor but I thought his acting was good. He came off professionally reserved but we got to see a little bit inside when Eli asked him to. And that joke about his 'different programs' cracked me up for three minutes straight. Just a bit of dark humor. However, I do not like the way he gave the answer to her to grow a pair to overcome her disorder. Right after that scene Eli was leaving but bumped into Lucas. He asked her to stay in his time of need but she gave him the same message she was given by doctor, to grow a pair and left. This seems more destructive than helpful. There was that loophole in the beginning to excuse his teachings that may come at people wrong and that was that he's unconventional. I appreciate that they placed in miscarriage and postpartum depression (rarely talked about in media). Eli's mom did some weird hippie thing to heal them but if she hadn't fed her that night Eli would have gone mountain climbing anyways but died. So her mom saved her life by that weird bottle feeding healing thing. Showed me you need a little bit of everything, not just doctors and science. I have a theory why the other characters didn't have much of a back story, other than time, and that is we are supposed to place ourselves in their shoes. One has binge disorder, overweight, others bulimic, anorexia, male, one's pregnant giving her false hope. I may be reading into it too much but the way they left out their backgrounds seemed intentional. I do agree that the first lines in the movie was what is relatable to everyone and should have been a bigger theme. If you haven't brought that up I would have forgotten they put that in there and would have seen this more as Eli's story than a movie about eating disorder. Overall I think this is a good start to being more real about the ugly struggles food disorders can have on people.

[@speeeee35]

I got the same feeling about the Tumblr suicide. It was so weird how they simultaneously tried to act like it was a big deal for Ellen, while mentioning it like twice.

[@EnchantingWings1]

As someone that struggles with some sort of eating issue (could binge for weeks, then starve for weeks, binge for months and starve myself for a month), mental health issues, and especially eating disorders, have to be handled appropriately and with care. Showing some reasons for why they happen to different individuals, why they are so persistent (I won't discuss what I've come to understand as to this is happening, as it is far too deep to discuss in a single comment), why they are so insidious and the hope that we have for recovery. There is so much good that could be done, but it usually goes the other way.

[@juliacasdel8639]

Well. That's your opinion but Keanu Reeves is super hot to me.

[@humanseekingtruth6080]

Did you just say a 50 year old can’t be attractively hot? 😳🤔 that’s odd

[@akhsdenlew1861]

considering that he is like 30 years old ,i'd say its quite normal. The vast majority of 30 year old men would find the vast majority of 50 year old women, NOT hot. It's common sense actually.

[@humanseekingtruth6080]

@akhs denlew • historically, age was not thought of as it is today, before relationships were very mixed as to how old the two were, age was not as important. The modern way of thinking about age has affected the way people see things, people are more judgmental and “weirded out” because of a number, they are less open minded about the mixing of varying ages. I’m a 33 year old man and I am more open minded. The age of a woman is not very important to me (except for over legal age limit of course), I can be attracted to a younger woman, a woman my age, or an older woman, because I can be attracted to their character, or their mind, or the body of a woman. And I know 50 year old women that are very attractive and even very sexy. Just Imagine later when you are 50 years old, should you be judged because you like someone in their 20s or 30s or that they are attracted to you? I think not.

[@akhsdenlew1861]

@@humanseekingtruth6080 First of all, in order to get attracted to a woman's character and mind, u need to get to know her first. U need to have made a certain type of contact otherwise it's impossible to know her mind and character, let alone be attracted by it. So initially, u will have get attracted to her body and general looks, and from there u will get to see if there's more. The tastes over women change depending on the age. Now i am 27, i can't possibly find the average 50 year old woman attractive. Obviously there are some exceptions... there are indeed some 50 year old women who are incredibly sexy, though incredibly rare. That's why i said the vast majority, and not EVERY single one. When i was 16-20, i was attracted to a different kind of woman, that i am no longer attracted to. A 50 + year old women would feel really wierd to get involved with cus its the same age as my mother also. I don't find their body shape attractive, the skin is different.. i don't know.. i just don't like it in general ( there are exceptions ofc but we are talking about the average). Usually they have kids, a complete different lifestyle, different stamina different interests... it's just a whole different world.. And yes if i go 50 years old, the 20s and the 30s girls will find nothing attractive on me.. at least MOST of them. Why should i care? And why does it matter? I don't find the cute 16-17 year old girls attractive as i used to as well ( forget the legal problems for the sake of the arguement) and i am sure they don't find me attractive on my 27s as they did on my 16-19s as well. But let's say that i find an attractive 50 year old woman.. Even if the sex is superb, then what? Our worlds are probably so different, each one of us have so many different needs from life at this particular moment that we can't possibly engage is something more. But let's assume that somehow my 27year old ME is on the same page with an attractive 50 year old woman. How much further can we proceed? in 10 years she will be 60 and i will be 37...and when i am 47 she will be 70. Me at 47, i am a well grown man, just like she was when we first met.. a well grown woman. But now she is a grandma, in an age which is the average death age for most countries. And i am 47.. All these are irrelevant if ur point was just about 1 night stands ofc. if u find a cool looking cougar.. and u wanna bang her cus u are attracted to her... Go get her my boy.. no prob But in that case i dont think u will be interested in her mind and character.. only looks.

[@thanosandnobill3789]

This movie felt like a half good movie, i liked it but i felt not closure at all. We introduced to those characters but none of them explored good or enough. I think this story if it was in tv show and not a movie will be way better.

[@sofiasanz2066]

thats cuz recovery is a never ending story.

[@meganstewart3245]

Thanasis Kai Oxi Vasilis I felt the exact same way! There was so much more they could have done with the characters and the storyline. It felt kind of like a single chapter ripped out of a book than a full movie.

[@TheHellokitty2123]

the story wasn’t really about the other characters though. it was about ellen’s story and her struggles. the other characters didn’t really serve much purpose other than their also fighting eating disorders and they’re in the house with ellen (aside from luke and the pregnant girl who’s name i fogrgot) if they did have a different ending all you would’ve seen is a typical ending of ellen getting better, eating more, gaining weight, and patching things up with luke.

[@bummerfriend]

I like my problems...BONELESS.

[@Fofanarmy]

Fucking Yes!

[@nellfithen5683]

i love how you skipped the whole 'ellen realized her mistakes and decides properly to get better'

[@Imperatoryvette]

First let me start off by saying: great video and I love your work. I like hearing your opinions and I think you back up those opinions with thought and care. As to my thoughts of the movie, I'm not going to act like I am some expert on eating disorders but I do have some experience in self image issues. And yeah, I do think that this is more just of a Anorexia and other eating disorders 101 story. I do feel that some of the other characters did get hints of their back stories but like you said not a lot since Ellen is the main character. Personally, I didn't see the ads or trailer or this movie but I did hear about through word of mouth when it premiered at Sundance back in January. I know that the director/writer as well as Lily Collins have both had anorexia so this story is pretty personal for the both of them. Netflix didn't produce it but they did buy the streaming rights so it's not like they were involved much with the creative process. Is it a perfect story? No, far from it and I probably would have wanted more. I think he best parts are with her family trying to help her even though it comes off as tone deaf and insensitive. Still, I'd rather watch this film over 13 Reasons Why mostly because it at least it was coming from a good place. I know there was controversy from the trailer with people thinking that this movie was going to glorify anorexia but I feel like there was enough imagery that showed us that it's not glamorous and that these people were sick. Especially with Ellen. Although they could have made her appearance more sickly but not having her look like she just came out of a Lancome ad. And yeah, the end is really corny but I also did view it as her wanting to live for once and attempt to get better. Granted, in the real world she probably could still have this A HA moment but maybe further down the line she could relapse. I've known people who have had anorexia and will say that it never truly goes away (like you said) and there could be just the one thing that triggers them to back to where they started. So yeah, not a perfect representation of Anorexia but I think it's a good starter for discussion regarding eating disorders.

[@MizzYuuki]

The kid in the house has anorexia because of the standard ballet dancers “have to keep up”. Most ballerinas go through anorexia and/or bulimia. He doesn’t need much of a back story, just knowing he’s a dancer gives you pretty much what you need. Plus, he’s body image is not “male ballet dancer standards” so people like him have to work extra hard to have lead roles on the theater.

[@holysmokes6709]

I disagree with some of the points here. It wasn't a happily ever after ending you never find out what actually happens to Ellen the movie ends with her going back into treatment that's all we know. Also when making a film choices have to be made you really only have time to explore one point of view. If it were structured like a series they could do that but I doubt they wanted to dedicate that kind of time or money for what was essentially an experiment. Also I think the comment in the beginning about the medias role wasn't the main focus it's there it's an influence but it isn't really talked about within the circles. And it kind of was covered through the girl that left Ellen the note. As far as movies like this go it's pretty good and others have missed the mark by a lot more. I like that a male was included I like that the the teenage angst trope was avoided... I think they did a good job and relative to the other movies covering this subject they did an excellent job.

[@madisonmae7513]

I absolutely agree with you it wasn't a happy perfect ending it was her seeing that she should get better

[@MorticiaGravesyde]

Exactly. The movie's ending was not the CHARACTER's ending...and, it should not be viewed as such. I thought it was the perfect ending for the movie.

[@nightcrawler8864]

The whole movie was fine, not every portrayal of a mental disorder is going to be like every other. Plus, the WHOLE story is based on the real life of the director, it talks about body dysmorphia as seen from the director along with the actress and actors personal experience with body dysmorohia in hollywood, it starts a discussion for this topic, not tailor it's story to approve everyone's needs and opinions, like yours. And it's primary source of inspiration is from the two starring actors and director, not everyone's experience. And how are you supposed to think that's not how body dysmorohia works, if you never experienced it, just guessing it doesn't work that way because of your experience with something you had nothing to do with it. Atleast give it props for being grounded in realism(unlike 13RW) but just like 13 reasons why, everyone's getting butthurt because it doesn't tailor to their personal experiences, because everybody's experience are different. You're just another triggered SJW who feels entitled to complain about an experience you never had, but thinks can relate or complain because every other politically correct person is doing it, smfh 😒

[@jordanrambles7127]

Jeez no one can critique media anymore without being called a 'triggered SJW'.

[@julianorozaa]

Solomon Williams You are the problem with today's society

[@nightcrawler8864]

- - How am I the problem? Pls further explain

[@zaak186]

Solomon Williams some ppl would react to your arguments badly like that because you give shallow points to your argument. you keep pointing back to "this is what the director experienced and what the actor experienced so you don't have the requirements to criticize this work." alex's arguments were constructive and used his examples to back up his arguments. you can disagree with his arguments, but you use points like 'oh this is what the person said since he/she experienced it so you cant disagree on that point,' which is basically saying that you don't have anything to fall back to but to the director's and actor's inspiration for the movie. 'triggered sjw' sounds more like you if you are angry that someone criticized about a social issue. sjw's usually gets triggered easily with videos like this and back their opinions with arguments like 'you shouldn't criticize on things you have not experienced.' try voicing your own opinions with constructive criticism rather than using someone else as a base of your arguments.

[@thepinkestpigglet7529]

Solomon Williams You called someone an sje for not agreeing with your opinion. Look, the guy just thinks if you are going to make a movie about a girl in a house for people with eating disorders and it's going to star people with many different kinds of eating disorders you're going to start that movie off with a particular explanation for eating disorders you should probably use every character with an eating disorder in some way instead of just having them there and you should do something with the explintion for eating disorders you supplied instead of just having it there. As with everything else he said in the video. The movie doesn't follow the law of attention to detail it brings stuff up but never goes anywhere with them.

[@PrettiestGemini]

It's like you people will never be satisfied. You do realize that there were good reasons to not explain or show EVERYTHING, right? The movie is so dark and deep that it made me get emotional about ED and I've never even had one. It's thought provoking and that's all it really needs to be.

[@Visforelvenshireling]

Subtlety. That is what I appreciated about this film. There were so many moments when the pain is so ... deep? present? resonant? There just are no accurate words. They let the actors do their jobs. I felt they did. I have never hand either anorexia or body dysmorphia. I felt however that this was a slice of one human's life kind of film. It grabbed me. It took me on that journey. I came away feeling like I understood a new perspective better. Isn't that the point of telling stories?

[@lunaluxe2256]

Was the Eli and Luke romantic relationship really necessary? Would have enjoyed it more if they showed more back story to some of the characters. What triggered Eli's ED to begin with? Her parents divorce? So many unanswered questions, and then an abrupt ending. Was really hoping they would have made another film about her recovery.

[@biamia5421]

I think part of the intention of the movie was to get away from the idea that the media in itself causes eating disorders. The therapist even says that there is no blame, there is not one cause. I found this kind of refreshing. People tend to forget that eating disorders are actually about emotions, control, biology, genetics, and only a small part is influenced by the media. I also do not think her case was too extreme or rare. Part of the reason I liked the movie is that it shows how it really is living with an eating disorder, that its a real illness and that includes being in and out of hospital, having real complications in other areas of your life and being debilitated. I've lived like that and know SO many others that have as well, I did not find it "extreme" or unrealistic.

[@dasa1974]

2:59 Exactly, every emotional connection is basically non-existent because well this movie is mostly from ellen's point of view,and having no emotional connections is what anorexia does.

[@alextromagnetic]

>great >13 reasons why You could have used House of Cards and BoJack Horseman, smh

[@yPGzRicardo]

Yeah, 13 Reasons Why was way far from great. It was, at best, a decent take on the teen shows we see a lot of.

[@NotFeelingBlauw]

I haven't seen this movie, but I have been to a mental hospital for my eating disorder (im bulimic) and it is true that you get to learn the other people's backstories. It is actually encouraged to not talk about it at all and anytime we did it had to be secretive (same thing goes about physical contact, I needed a hug but we weren't alowed so this one dude pulled me into the kitchen and hugged me there, so the doctors wouldn't see it). I still don't know many back stories and I don't think I'll ever find out why some of those teens were actually there.

[@DownfallxInsides]

Basically everything is wrong with this video. Where do I even start. The top comment explains a lot of the things perfectly. But also, the tangent you went on at the end about how it's not realistic that she decided to get better or whatever and how it's a happy ending. Yes, I guess it is, because she does decide to get better, and that is actually realistically the first most important step. If you don't decide you want to get better you won't and you will most probably end up dying. And sadly, just because you decide to try doesn't mean you'll succeed. We don't see whether she does or doesn't and that's the point. Maybe she gets better and leads a better life, maybe she doesn't and struggles for years to come, maybe she dies. That's the point of what I would say is an open ending. I think it was a big mistake to try and critique material that fundamentally deals with something you know little to nothing about. It's nice that you mentioned your own self image issues and I don't want to devalue them in any way, but you haven;t struggled with anorexia or eating disorders, body dysmorphia doesn't always lead to eating disorders, and you thinking you can talk down this movie that deals with things you can't understand fully is not okay. So many of the things you said show just how little you understand this issue. This video was a complete miss in my opinion.

[@novam04]

What I loved is the ending, where Ellen is not over it, just ready to work on it. And that i think is very important

[@user-bx4ti6ig3i]

My aunt just passed away from anorexia. She started when she was around 19, after an exbf told her she was fat (she wasn't). She struggled with it until this year. She would of almost been 39. She lost the ability to have periods or a family. Her husband was no help.

[@amywonderland9297]

I wish Luke wasn't in it. I have nothing against the actor, but I think this is one film that really didn't need a romantic plot? Why can't it be a film where a girl figures out she has a family that love her (the step-mom and sister), even if her real mom/dad and the lesbian partner don't care. Why can't we see her forming bonds with the other girls in the house and they encourage each other. Why did we need to have a fucking male in a FEMALE group home? Plus he was a little toxic? shoving food at her, ordering more than what she wants on a date, then saying shit like "I just found out I can't dance, you can't leave me"

[@taira7007]

as someone who was hospitalized because of anorexia, I related to the movie quite a lot. When you have an ED, your drive to lose weight and be the skinniest person in any room doesn't come from the media (the fashion industry and society's standards might have an influence initially, buy not so much once you're in deep) but from inner struggles and real problems one may have. The numbness she expressed is very real, amd her disregard for life is too. It is, IMO, a great movie, and it does a good job at showing the subtle struggles her character went through Also, her "waking call" wasnt bizarre; I myself only started to follow my meal plan and take my meds once I realized I could never see my dog again if I died (surprisingly, I thought my life didnt mean shit to my family and friends)

[@anluesgu]

As a person with an ED, I agree with everything you said. I never felt that the the real issues were ever really addressed it felt a bit superficial. Maybe in real life we don't address our real problems or whatever, but at the end I felt like "what's the point?" I learned nothing, it made me cringe a lot and there were a lot of problematic scenes (which Netflix promised there wouldn't be, like romatizicing EDs) I see that a lot of people liked it, a lot of people disliked it. It's all valid, I didn't like it.

[@abigaila1659]

I've not struggled with anorexia, but I do struggle with ednos (eating disorder not otherwise specified). This movie does touch on impossible beauty standards in the beginning, but Eli puts it best when she says that you just have to deal with it. There's nothing you can do about what media puts out there for the ideal body. Doesn't make it any less triggering, but it becomes something you have to accept and live with and shift your mind towards what's best for you, not what some magazine says is best. In my experience, it started with the need to be as skinny as the people around me. To feel prettier and lovely. And its morphed into this need to know that even though everything else in my life is falling apart, I can still control this one thing. No one can make me do anything else with it if I don't want to. A lot of other people I've talked to are in the same boat. This movie captures a lot of the underlying issues really well. Eli wasn't suppose to magically get better. She didn't magically get better. She realized that she was going to die if she didn't get help. She realized the hurt she was leaving in her wake for the people who loved her. Just as well, she didn't have a bad relationship with her step mom and I don't like that you phrased it the way you did. Her step mom stepped up to the plate when everyone else gave up on her. She truely loved and cared about Eli's well being and health and was showed doing everything she could to get her the best possible treatment. Granted, she didn't understand why Eli was the way she was, but a lot of parents don't. Personally, I can't find fault in this movie. It doesn't address what people think is the real problem. Instead, it brings the actual reasons and effects of eating disorders to light.

[@rust44]

Anorexia ISN’T body dysmorphia. Do you know what you’re talking about? And she doesn’t suddenly get cured or get over it, she just has an eye opening experience. Luke’s issues are implied where he mentions his parents not “giving a shit.” Eating disorders can stem from abuse/neglect. Of course you wouldn’t know that, since you dismissed her reason for having an ED and confusing it with not being satisfied with your appearance. There are legit criticisms for this film, none of which you actually touched on.

[@graysonjefferson8852]

I know I'm hella late but I wanna comment so why not. I gotta admit when this movie came out I was very sceptical of the way it'd be portrayed. As someone who has struggled with an eating disorder I was really worried this would turn out like 13 reasons why: a vague attempt at validating and spreading awareness, but in the end turns out to just glorify. I was pleasantly surprised. When I watched this movie I was in the deepest spot with my ED I'd ever been. I hadn't eaten in two days, I was sipping ice water doing leg exercises watching this movie and, in a sick way, hoping it'd be glorifying so that I wouldn't feel guilty about what I was doing. And this really did snap me out of it. I ended up having a breakdown at 4 am and calling my boyfriend pleading him to help me stop the cycle I was stuck in. I'm doing better not, though I still get bad sometimes as all of us do. But I guess what I wanted to say was I think this movie did a good job portraying it's point. It was a little cheesy and I understand some of your criticisms from (I'm assuming) an outsiders perspective but for me, it was an accurate non overdone portrayal

[@NebulousWarrior]

As An Editor, and a person who used Svp and AE For over 2 years, the editing style of these videos you make are spectacular! absolutely amazing, I'd love to lay my hand on one of the project files for one of your videos if possible :) thank you

[@NebulousWarrior]

is there any way of that happening? is the project files even available for anyone to buy?

[@msstephanie726]

Alex, I love you, but you can’t talk about how a movie “goes wrong” with eating disorders with no research or no life experience. Most of these criticisms are based on you not relating to Ellen (which you won’t because you don’t have what she had) or the movie not talking about what you wanted it to. Bdd and Anorexia are not the same thing. And Ellen wasn’t cured, she realises that she wants to get better. I had a moment like that too.

[@sean_mccadden]

This is my perspective of the movie. The scene of the girl talking about “this is all the medias fault” I don’t think was meant to foreshadow the topic of the movie but the actual point was to give a quick dive into Eli’s state of mind with her reaction to that. To show that currently shes a little closed off and bitter to other peoples feelings on things and later it kinda shows us why is hugely because of the environment with her upbringing. And on the topic of “her sudden change in mind” I don’t think was because of the “San Francisco hippie” lifestyle that her mom was living but more I think it was because of her mom showing vulnerability to what was going on. Eli I don’t think wanted to die, I think it just didn’t click with her how detrimental her condition was until her mom said “I accept if you want to go” that appeared to be the moment that the glass broke for her how badly things were and why she decided to finally take her condition seriously since finally an adult figure in her life finally wasn’t trying to force anything on her and also wasn’t just straight up giving up but instead was trying to relate and simply was being there for her. Also in regards to Keanu Reeves it really didn’t seem to me that he was phoning it in but instead was playing the character that he needed to be. Therapists aren’t supposed to tell you what to do or get overly involved but instead guide you and help you understand whats going on which is what he was doing. I think the mistake the movie did make was having that lady beforehand that was describing him as this super radical and unorthodox type Doctor which he didn’t seem like at all but maybe that was supposed to be an intentional misdirect or his methods were considered unorthodox 4 years ago. But over all I like this movie. I have no idea how accurate it is since I didn’t really have those experiences personally but if it was really written by those who have had those experiences as stated at the beginning it could’ve been more real than we really could understand

[@daughter-of-loki1062]

'Damn doctor, you trying to turn me straight?" Can I just say that I cringed so hard at that line my uterus probably inverted?

[@HilaryPea]

I remember seeing the movie and thinking that a barely inspiring dream is not doing to "cure" her. I felt that this would give false hope to people with eating disorders or body dismorphia. The ending definitely left the viewers wanting.

[@meghanelizabeth6911]

as a person whos struggled with disordered eating for 5-6 years, the movie is pretty goddamn accurate.

[@cameliavictoria5508]

The thing is, Ellen didn’t just get over her body issues. At the film’s ending isn’t a happily ever after. It’s the moment in which she decided to actually get better. I know what this feeling like. I have been overweight and people around me would constantly remind me of that and I also struggled with not eating, excessive exercise, etc. I thought this movie did a well job representing Ellen’s story. I understand your point of view but I feel like it’s dismissing a few elements that are actually representative of eating disorders.

[@PaintingAlibis]

Here's my impression of the movie: I have actually been to an inpatient treatment program for anorexia, for three weeks. In my case it was held in one small corridor of a local hospital. I'll sum it up...it wasn't pleasant. I saw people break down, choke on those feeding tubes, vomit on themselves, etc. This stuff gets extremely ugly. There are people missing teeth from bulimia or hair from malnutrition. Some even lost their sanity and became extremely paranoid. Ex. some dude held me against a couch because he thought I hacked into his Facebook. It's horrifying what prolonged malnutrition does to the brain and body. The documentary does touch on some details you'll likely see in a inpatient program. The characters are somewhat relatable to some people I came across in my experience. I can appreciate that. There's one huge issue with this movie though. They make the inpatient facility look like a summer camp compared to what it's actually like. You'll make friends, even a boyfriend! You can chill with him where and whenever you like. Don't feel like eating? No problem! Want specific foods? Sure! Feel like running up and down the stairs? Run your heart out, no one will be there to see! If there are cozy little homes with lax rules that pass as inpatient facilities for eating disorders, I would love to see one. I can't imagine they work. The only way you can be admitted to inpatient is if your vitals are essentially that of a dead person. You are past any other form of help, you're at the lowest of lows and the only way to retrieve you from...well... the road to death is to force physical recovery and worry about mental trauma later (in after care). In my facility you ate the meal plan that the nutritionist proscribed to you. They gave you one strike, or one time a week or so where you could leave a decent amount of food on your plate, after that you got "the tube". A tube connected to a bag of ensure or supplement drink that went down your throat and hooked into your stomach. It doesn't matter how much you fight it, they will get that tube through your nose, even if it takes 5 nurses. So no....you will not get a friendly staff to offer you your "safe foods" or the option to not eat at all. Second, you can't lift a finger in inpatient without a nurse or doctor calling you out. They have people watching you CONSTANTLY (yes, even when you take a shit, it took a while to get used to that) to make sure you don't burn any calories beyond walking from one room to another. The showers were motion sensing for Christ's sake, so we couldn't turn the temperature too low. Our personal rooms were locked from 8am to 10pm anyways, so we could only hang out it one common room with nothing but Netflix to keep us busy. They confiscated most of our music, books, etc for "safety reasons" and only re-awarded them back to us if we ate without fussing. So TLDR: in inpatient facilities you are kind of treated like a prisoner, rather than a helpless sick person. I've never been to prison but the lack of trust nurses have for you makes you feel quite incriminated. In this movie it feels awfully cozy, like getting to that point and having to be admitted into the hospital wouldn't be so bad. They could have done a better job illustrating the ugliness of this illness. No, it's not appealing to look at, but when handling a topic like this you have to be EXTREMELY careful. I know what it's like and watching it even I could feel some urges to relapse, luckily I've recovered enough and I hope everyone watching this movie with my experience can say the same.

[@Roemchen-h1i]

to your first point: the movie was meant to discuss the mental struggles that cause people to get an eating disorder. it was not meant to represent the shadow sides od beauty standards. the theme "EATING DISORDER" is very complex and every movie would be too short to look at every sied of it, because mental illness is a spectrum. To your third point: the movie was supposed to be an authentic view on one person and not a documenary about every form of eating disorders, so it makes sense only eli's point of view was explored. Also the movie was inspired by the experiences the actress lily Collins made with eating disorder herself, which is why it is such a specific form of anorexia. To your fourth point: the story was supposed to show the experience of ellen what caused her eating disorders because when you find the roots of a problem you can solve it. the part with the girl that killed herself was not a root to her eating disorder, which is why it wasn't discussed that much. To your last point: No eli didnÄt get over her body dysmorphia from one moment to the other, she decides that she wants to try to get better, you remember the scene in the beginning where kelly asks her to try this time? i think it was a kind of key moment of uniting the to broken parts of the family, leading her to actually wanting to get better for herself and not just for the others. I hope that helped (btw i agree with the keanu reeves argument)

[@msstephanie726]

2:31 correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t it a rule that they couldn’t talk about that stuff?

[@nosylaxd9700]

everyone else: IM *TRIGGERED* BY “TO THE BONE” me: i thought it was great..

[@franciscarrroa1470]

Your points are very solid and I have to say congratulations for being this critic about it. I personally feel like it is very real, having had bulimia myself, but it does fall short on beauty standards problems and body dysmorphia, it does portray the pain of eating disorders very well. I feel like it would have been amazing if they had explored the other girls backstories more but I guess the movie can't be that long. Anyway the first time I watched it I was just SO ANNOYED by the ''romance arc'' or whatever, it was completely innecessary, maybe it helps to show how sick Luke was to the point of romantizing this girl's sickness as well. Great video man!

[@mielvanvelzen5967]

They didnt realy show the other external health issues related to anorexia.

[@superglew]

They talked about her hair thinning and her loss of periods and they did show her bruising and excess body hair

[@Visualmetal]

Miel van Velzen I Think she meant that they showed a wery mild side of the anorexia. Even though Ellen clearly is in danger of dying, we as the viewers don't see the important message because of the lack of showing grafic images of anorexia. It just touches some of the healt problems.. But never shows any consequences. Only a little bit. That's my thoughts

[@saucewizard69]

Lysets vokter one of the girls literally miscarriages bc of her eating disorder

[@newxromantic]

There was a woman who miscarried and a girl with a tube

[@obesecatexpert]

newxromantic yea that part scarred me

[@rainXrain]

Lol this was definitely made by someone who doesn't understand eating disorders and its true reality

[@multifandomqueentm8066]

isabel mak the person that made it had an eating disorder and so did the actor portraying her

[@rust44]

abgpineapple TM She was referring to the maker of the VIDEO.

[@isabelwilliams233]

Okay I know I wrote a long comment about this barely five minutes ago, but after reading some of the comments, I think all we can agree on is that people took different things away from this movie and this video: some people liked it, some didn't, some thought it was an accurate portrayal, some thought it didn't do well, some related to it, some were angered by it. All we can really take is that we're different people and same as anything else we are all going to see this in different ways.

[@angelgriffin7717]

“Person who obviously knows nothing about eating disorders gives stupid opinion on how they should be portrayed” but seriously you obviously don’t know what you’re talking about because this movie is the best depiction I’ve seen so far

[@elizabelthe]

I think the show may have been better as series, so were given more background on the side characters

[@april-kn2vr]

the guy in the rehab house said he was suffering from anorexia was because of his ballet career. so they did give a back story to one other character, but since this is a movie they could only say so much because no one wants to sit through a 2+ hour movie. which is probably why they never really mentioned the other girls and why they’re suffering too, it just would take up too much time, which is unfortunate. i personally think this movie was far better than 13 reasons why because they portrayed everything in a much less romanticized manner.

[@miamarinovic933]

I grew up in a society mostly promoting thick girls and self love and I still have anorexia. The media isn't as important as most people would think

[@maxp1151]

I suffered from bulimia for a very long time, and after a decade of therapy I still can't think of a reason why I started. It was never about being the thinnest person in a room but about control. There isn't always a reason why people develop eating disorders, so stop expecting them to blame the media or go into detail about some deep and tragic backstory. The only reason you disliked this movie is because you had/have a warped and stereotypical view of eating disorders. We are all individuals with our own unique struggles. Not every case fits your criteria of "girl with a fucked up family sees a skinny model and then BOOM, anorexia".

[@nayaahmad9891]

I think the movie wasn’t trying to be about anorexia specifically, it was more about a person with a problem and how it only is solved when that person takes responsibility for it . Most people who are like her (just like the girls in the opening scene) vaguely throw the blame at something else , the easiest being the media and Hollywood. Such an illness isn’t about who made you do it , it’s about the trauma ,either physical or mental , that drives you into such extremes. The whole movie imo was about recovery and how she finally decides to take control in saving herself rather than starving herself. Another very important point was the fact that whatever type of influence she was surrounded with , she still stuck to what she was doing . In other words , just because you’re surrounded by positivity doesn’t mean you should feel awesome and vice versa . Being surrounded by negativity can either push you to get better or aid u in getting worse . It you who makes the change , not others . I think the movie was trying to say that by using other people or influences as a crutch , you are making matters worse for yourself . The only recovery is by you .

[@lemonoats6037]

I understand, I think my biggest problem with the movie is how many people claim to have eating disorders after. I think the ending of the movie (in my opinion) showed that Eli made a big step by changing directions in her life. However, I think that every other time I've seen this happen, the person with an eating disorder feels ultimately, guilty. It doesn't really show that because we know that every eating disorder is different. Eli mentioned in the movie that she just couldn't stop, she had an addiction and as far as we know, still probably has one since she went back to the home for recovery.

[@alicedeathbelle]

The thing that annoys me is that the majority if not all media about eating disorders is about anorexia when it's actually one of the least common eating disorder out there! The majority of people, around 50%, suffer from binge eating disorders and around 20% suffer from bulimia. I wish I could see more about people like me who have a strange mixture of eating disorder habits, not just starving yourself for control. It's so much more than that and it's sad that no movies or shows really portray that.

[@natarshahamilton6158]

I really don't think the movie was suggesting that she suddenly just got over it, which is why we didn't see her as her recovered self. From the end of the movie, we really don't know what happens, but it does imply that she has a changed perspective on the matter and is more willing to get better. Also, it is the story of an individual, so u can't expect them to be able to incorporate all the different types and scenarios of the disorder

[@daltondeverell4039]

I liked the movie but not the ending

[@claire-do2ei]

5:10 it is mentioned many times that luke is in ballet. ballet, gymnastics, etc. can often put out the idea that you need to be thin, which can lead to eating disorders.

[@tumdbd]

I think the movie did good, the thing is that everyone has different experiences with body dysmorphia. We don't know others stories fully because in reality, that's how it is. I think it doesn't really take away from the story, it felt well paced and I feel it might've felt dragged out otherwise. The ending isn't her getting cured, it's her finally accepting treatment. You totally missed the ending, she doesn't want help through the movie, yet in the end she sees things differently.

[@raechuuu510]

my biggest disagreement with this video, I felt they completely avoided the "fairytale ending" that he's referring to. a fairy tale ending would be her getting better all of a sudden. No, that's not what happened! she hit a really low point (Keanu's character even said some people need to reach rock bottom or something along those lines) and it motivated her to come back and try to work through her issues. the movie leaves me feeling like it's still going to be a long and hard battle for her, but at least she's back in the house where she can start to heal. it was far from "oh she's magically better"

[@MspHerrehschanel]

I feel like Alex Meyers is a pseudonym and this is just a voice actor hired in a small company where they have people watch shows and movies and then writing an essay about them :)

[@Henrijetta]

Just found you're channel, and must say I really enjoy you're videos, and analytic thoughts behind them. I really liked the movie, and how it was at her point of view the whole movie. Maybe because it put a real understanding of her, and how she struggles to cope with this disease. It is kind of like the saying goes that you can choose to not be around other people, but at the end of the day you can't choose to not be with yourself. You are stuck with you, and having such a serious mental disorder makes it really hard to function or think in a healthy way. The way she thinks, and acts is from a normal healthy persons perspective is outrageous and dramatic. But from a person struggling with a mental disorder it isn't. Both you're body and you're mind is at war with it self, and this makes the person really hyper alert to everything. Because the disorder is the thing that is in control over you, and not you over it you will be really self destructive, and distrusting. In both yourself and others. I really liked how this was the main perspective of the movie. People with other mental disorders can be able to relate to Ellen, and her struggles because they have at one point or another felt the same way. The ending was kind of the start for Ellen because she realized that she needs help, and that this is the point of choosing to fight for her life and get better, or loosing to the disease and die. I think this was the best ending they could have given it because it might help other people struggling to get help too. A lot of the time the disease is so in control of the person that they dont even realize that they need help, and that the disorder is dangerous. It was definitely not the perfect movie about anorexia, but it was a really good movie to bring out the discussion on mental illness.

[@charlotteh2907]

the opening scene wasn't supposed to be followed up on. it was to show her in the like standard clinic situation and how that other girl saw the magazine situation.

[@maerawlings6354]

First thought when clicking on the video: But that movie was so good!!! At the end: Fuck, he made some good points.

[@bettedarling2251]

"You don't just get over it because Keanu Reeves mumbles somethings g at you" ahahahah idk why but this literally made my day 😂😂😂

[@shaki8557]

As someone who was fat as a baby to about 18, such as yourself, I wholeheartedly agree. Also, someone who has struggled with eating disorders/and still does, I still agree. I hate anorexia movies, they never seem to get it right. It's like suddenly the protagonist is inspired and decides to eat like a normal person again. Like no ... no way. As someone who's been fat, I am terrified of ever getting to where I was, I'm also terrified with the idea of never getting to my goal weight, and never being an attractive woman (which I never was in high school etc.) I'm also mortified with losing weight, and then gaining it all back (which I've done before). I'm sorry, but eating disorders are associated with mental illness and they just don't go away ... especially if you have a past such as my own, where I was bullied and put down because of my weight by my family and friends on a DAILY BASIS. I try to manage it because I know it's not good obviously, and I do that and I'm healthy, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't slip up sometimes and starve myself or go on full-out binges. It's just not as simple as these films portray it, and I'm still hoping for a film that gets it right. Anyway ... Great job on the video! :)

[@tumdbd]

I feel like this movie is somewhat realistic in the way that everyone thinks it isn’t. I think the reason the other girls were more like a bunch of extras is to show that El feels so trapped in her own world, she doesn’t care enough to even know about the other girls or their problems besides Luke. She’s selfish, and I think that’s supposed to be the idea, that you’re the only person who can help yourself. Not society, not other people’s stories, and not your family, it’s just yourself. Sure, this was no movie for anorexia, but it was a movie about personal change.

[@hahalove47]

I could be wrong but it seems that you probably don't know a lot about ED. Most people who have eating disorders don't do it to "fit an image." We end up doing this to ourselves for so many reasons (which is something the doc points out) that don't actually have anything to do with how we look. Ellen eventually breaks and realizes she can't keep doing this to her self and needs to go back to actually try. As someone who has suffered from anorexia, I thought it was amazing and the moment where her mom feeds her made me breakdown because, to me, it was a very powerful moment. I know not every person who has had an eating disorder will see this movie and love it the way I do and possibly even think it's awful but, for me, it sent the message it was supposed to. Also, this wasn't just a thing Netflix tried to do for the hell of it. Both the director and Lily Collins have suffered from eating disorders so they put their our past into this. I feel like I should also throw out that it sounds like you might have some early signs of an ED and should make sure you're constantly reaching out to people you love and trust when you start feeling negatively about yourself. I truly hope you never understand what people like myself have gone though. It was a horrific time in my life and if I had continued I would not have this little human growing inside of me right now.