Part One:
To the Bone is an American drama film that is on the platform, Netflix. It focuses on a young girl in her twenties, Ellen, who is battling anorexia nervosa (shortened to anorexia) which is an eating disorder. It is controversial whether anorexia is a compulsive disorder or an addiction. By definition, a compulsive disorder includes uncontrollable, reoccurring thoughts and behaviors that causes an individual to have urges while Addiction is a chronic disease of brain reward that results in rewards and motivation. According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine, their definition of addiction includes “process” addictions, such as food. Going off of this, some organizations consider eating disorders and addiction to be related because food abuse activates the reward center in the brain, same as which drugs or alcohol would so in the case of this paper, eating disorders have an addictive component (Eating Disorder Hope, 2012).
Ellen is a twenty-year-old who dropped out of college and is battling anorexia. She is seen returning home to live with her stepmother and father after failing to make it through an in-patient program without progress. Her mom came out when she was only 13 and then ran away to Phoenix to run a horse therapy farm with her partner. Running away was seen as an escape from her trouble child. Ellen’s stepmother is the only truly caring and firm family member in her life. Ellen, however, is still struggling with her eating disorder and only cares about being thin enough.
Her father is present in her life, but is emotionally unattached and absent so her stepmother, Susan, arranges Ellen to meet with a new specialist, Dr. Beckham. Dr. Beckham encourages Ellen to join his unconventional program which is in a house with six other patients, five women and one man. Ellen is reluctant to do so, but realizes she needs to be there for her younger sister who helps change her mind.
The house is different than what Ellen is used to. You must sit at the dinner table for the whole time even if you are not eating and the bathrooms are locked for a period after meals. They all have freedom, but they are not allowed to have any aids for vomiting or laxatives. On the other hand, Ellen has to do therapy with Dr. Beckham where he is very blunt and straight about his methods and words which Ellen responds well to.
Luke, an injured ballet dancer struggling with anorexia, takes Ellen under his wing to befriend her and show her the ropes. The audience sees the relationship between Ellen and Luke develop and unfold throughout the rest of the film. On the other hand, Ellen has to do therapy with Dr. Beckham where he is very blunt and straight about his methods and words which Ellen responds well to. Ellen changes her name to Eli during her time at the house and begins to struggle after Megan, another girl at the house, has a miscarriage after resuming purging which causes Eli to plan to run away. Even after Luke begs her to stay and expresses he needs her, but she leaves anyways.
At this point, Eli is very sick and travels to her mother’s house in Arizona. Her mother realizing the state she is in, expresses that she struggled with postpartum depression after having Eli and could not make her better, leading to the reason why she moved to the other side of the country. Her mother purposes a strange idea of bottle-feeding Eli and rocking her to help solve the issues. Eli goes along after her mom told her that she accepts death if that is what Eli is choosing. After spending time with her mom and having been bottle-fed, Eli goes for a walk where she passes out due to her illness. Eli hallucinates where Luke kisses her and expresses how sick she is, making Eli realize that she needs to stay alive.
After waking, Eli decides to go back home to her stepmother and sister both help her re-start Dr. Beckham’s program.
Part Two:
Anorexia nervosa is classified under the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). To be diagnosed, an individual must meet the criteria: fear of gaining weight, unhappy with one’s body shape and weight, denial of current low body weight, and restriction of energy intake and its effect on one’s health. It is an eating disorder that is characterized by weight loss (in children it is lack of appropriate weight gain), distorted body image, and difficulty maintaining appropriate body weight for height. It is often seen with individuals restricting the number of calories they eat, and some may exercise compulsively, purge using laxative and vomiting, and binge eat. There are warning signs and symptoms for those with anorexia nervosa: dressing in layers to stay warm or hide weight loss, cook meals for others without eating, is concerned about eating in public, has a food ritual (rearranging food on plate, excessive chewing, etc), and more. Physically, individuals may have abnormal laboratory results, fainting menstrual regulatory, dry skin and brittle nails, fine hair, cavities from vomiting, and more (National Eating Disorders, 2018).
One of the women that Eli met at the house, Megan, also had an eating disorder and struggled to get pregnant, something she’s been trying at for a while. She was finally pregnant and was trying to take care of herself and the baby, knowing that her actions could put her at risk to lose her child. Eventually, she did end up having a miscarriage once she resumed purging at the twelve-week mark, thinking it was safe again. Eating disorders can cause serious complications during pregnancy. Like Megan, it can cause difficulty getting pregnant and maintaining a healthy weight throughout pregnancy. If problems occur and habits return, there is an increased risk miscarriage or health problems for the baby. Women experience premature birth, a baby with low birth weight meaning it weighs less than five pounds at birth, or a stillbirth which Is where the baby dies in the womb after 20 weeks of pregnancy. If you have an eating disorder and are pregnant, it is important to talk to a health care provider and therapist to set a meal plan that can ensure the baby and you are getting adequate nutrition (March of Dimes, 2016).
Throughout the film, it was noticed that Eli had problems with her mom. Her mom abandoned her to move to Phoenix, they had a difficult relationship that the audience was never really let on to see. It was later revealed that her mom struggled from postpartum depression after giving birth to Eli. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), postpartum depression is depression that is onset after having a baby, it is more intense and lasts longer than the “baby blues.” “Baby blues” is a term used to describe the feelings such as tiredness, worry, and sadness women often experience after giving birth. It is found that one in nine women experience postpartum depression. Typical symptoms include: crying more than usual, withdrawing from loved ones, thoughts of harming self or baby, and more. Postpartum depression is treatable by healthcare professionals and therapists (CDC, 2018).
Part Three:
This film shines light on eating disorders and recovery. Although not everyone’s disease and recovery are the same, this show’s one person’s specific journey. Although it is a fictional movie, it shows the physical changes that one faces with the disorder and how the addiction builds up to lead to a disastrous decline and a serious form of self-harm. The three topics mentioned in part two are health topics that are usually not discussed due to the stigma and stereotype they carry, to have all of these topics within a film on Netflix make it easier for the public to learn about these illnesses and do personal research to learn more about each of the topics.
Anorexia nervosa is a serious disease and the warning signs should be known to everyone. Eli was struggling for years with her disorder and was on the brink of death before realizing she needed to take therapy and recovery seriously otherwise she would be leaving her family behind.
Miscarriages are a taboo topic in society. Women who experience miscarriages feel embarrassed to talk about them. Those who have eating disorders are also not talked about frequently or accessing the health care professionals that they need to get help. It is important that those with an eating disorder or recovering and trying to get pregnant maintain a steady weight with adequate nutrients. In the film, Megan also resumed purging which ultimately led to her miscarriage. Although it is not easy, these actions must be refrained from to ensure a healthy, full-term pregnancy.
Finally, postpartum depression has had a negative connotation throughout history. Women who experienced postpartum depression used to be locked up and were told they were “insane” when truthfully, they were experiencing a serious condition. Women with postpartum depression can end up hurting themselves or even their child and blame themselves when something goes wrong. In this case, Eli’s mom abandoned her due to her battle with depression and the realization her daughter was sick, and she could not save her.
Part Four:
I give this movie a four (4). Overall, it does a good job at highlighting the issues behind anorexia and recovery. Everyone’s experience, however, is different when battling an illness so it is important to realize that after watching this film – it is not a “one size fits all.” The director, Marti Noxon, actually struggled from an eating disorder and had a difficult recovery herself which inspired this film. I would not recommend watching this if you are currently in recovery from an eating disorder or worried about a relapse.