CONTENT WARNING: Discussion of anorexia nervosa
I have always been a great supporter of the idea that characters are what makes a film great, for they are the basis of any narrative and prove to be one of the most intriguing parts of a film (at least to general audiences). To the Bone does a great job of creating complex characters with a depth rarely seen in most movies. The characters in this movie have complex motivations and struggles, beyond common two dimensional characters. Susan, Ellen’s stepmother, shows this well. As a character, Susan, portrays many stereotypes associated with the bright, bubbly mother stereotype. She is always talking, carries no filter in what she says or how she says it, and is a bit of a gossip. That being said, though, she breaks the mold usually assigned to this kind of character by being shown as a loving and caring mom to Ellen, doing anything she can to get Ellen the help she needs and filling a void left by her mother and her mother’s wife. So while being defined as a stereotypical mother in many aspects, the film breaks this mold by reaching a conclusion not commonly associated with the stereotype. This proves to be true for almost every character in the film from the main characters of Ellen, Lucas, and Ellen’s family to the other women Ellen lives with while seeking treatment. One of the ways these characters are portrayed are through the use of costuming.
To the Bone used a large amount of symbolism to further describe characters, emotions, and even Ellen’s state of health. Symbolism, as used in this movie, added a large amount of depth to the movie and individual scenes. The most prominent example of this can be seen with the depiction of Ellen. Throughout the movie the costuming and makeup used by Lily Collins in her portrayal of Ellen reflects the status of Ellen’s mental and physical health. In many scenes where Ellen creates strong relationships, she is dressed in bright clothes and has makeup that brings out her features making her look more attractive. Contrary though, in scenes where Ellen takes a step back, her clothes become drab and layered. The makeup used in these scenes adds dark circles to Ellen’s eyes and make Ellen’s face look more angular or thin. This detail also extends to other characters and even set design with particular locations being used for positive or negative events based on their design. These details as they are used, greatly increase the emotions and realistic tone the movie tries to convey.
The emotion in To the Bone also really resonated with me. This stems from my own experiences of anorexia nervosa, with one of my best friends in middle school suffering from the illness. My friend lost an extreme amount of weight in just a couple of months. Following this she suffered from heart issues, that led her to be hospitalized for a few months as she gained weight and went through counseling. It was also revealed that her eating habits had aggravated a pre-existing disposition to celiac that my friend now has to spend her entire life with. This, of course, was a very difficult time for those around this friend, including her friends. This is part of why the film struck me so hard. The film portrays the struggle between the person who is suffering from the illness and those around them extremely well. From showing the impacts Ellen’s has had on her family, to showing how Ellen’s family has impacted her and her mental state. The film perfectly balances the emotion and reality that comes with this form of struggle.
To the Bone, overall, is a magnificent piece of film. It creates meaningful characters with depth and complexity, shown with a variety a detail and emotion, I have not seen in most films. So while the film may have some flaws, like its ending, I found the film proves to be an enlightening endeavor into the complexity of illness and recovery.
Good catch on the costume design aspects of this show. I think to take it a step further, I think the layers of clothing also represents this need to be hidden or covered while the brightness could be the confidence she gains and letting attention be drawn to herself. I would have to go back and rewatch the film to see if her actions correspond with that idea all the way through, but I am intrigued.
ReplyDeleteIf you wanted to, I think you could probably spend this entire post discussing the symbolism or design choices made in this film, and now, I am really curious as to what scene choices you noted. The one in particular that stands out to me is the scene at the art exhibit with the rain (which coincidentally is my favorite moment in the entire film).