Movie Review

The 2006 documentary film, THIN, directed by Lauren Greenfield, which she produced in collaboration with producer R.J. Cutler and while she was living at Renfrew for six months. THIN is a documentary that explores issues surrounding body image and eating disorders. THIN was selected for competition at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and won the John Grierson Award for best feature-length documentary at the London Film Festival2006. It has also screened at Hot Docs and Full Frame, as well as film festivals in Chicago, Vancouver, Austin, St. Louis, Ojai, Galway and Sweden. It received the 2006 Documentary Grand Jury Prize at the Boston Independent Film Festival, Newport International Film Festival and Jackson Hole Film Festival. THIN has also been nominated for an International Documentary Association Award.

I watched this not because it was an assignment but because eating disorders and stories I’ve heard about them have intrigued me. Almost everything about them intrigue me, why people have eating disorders, why people don’t get help, why it might be present in females more than males, etc.

This movie really doesn’t have a plot, it mainly focuses on one facility and a few patients and their daily routine as a participant there. It follows Alyssa, a 30-year-old divorced mother of two, and traces her eating issues back to an incident when she was 7 and put on a diet. She describes massive binge and purge sessions, which resulted in hospitalizations due to the resulting dehydration and her severe abuse. 

Brittany, 15-year-old student who was admitted to Renfrew with liver damage, a low heart rate and hair loss after dropping from 185 to 97 pounds in less than a year. She describes herself as a compulsive overeater from the age of 8, leading into compulsive dieting and anorexia from the age of 12 and a craving for acceptance amongst her peers as her motivation to lose weight. Polly, who was attempted after a suicide attempt after eating two pieces of pizza. And Shelly a 25-year-old psychiatric nurse who enters the Center at the beginning of the film with a PEG feeding tube surgically implanted in her stomach. She admits herself into Renfrew after ten hospitalizations. On her arrival she weighs 84.3 pounds, having been anorexic for six years

Angry Letter Draft

(Your Address)

(Your City, State, Zip code)

November 15th, 2012

98-1005 Moanalua Road

STE 600

Aiea, HI 96701

(808) 483-5339

­­

Dear Pearlridge Theaters Administration,

My family and friends have been satisfied and happy customers since kids. Your reasonable prices, great employees, and wide selection has kept us coming back to entertain our selves. However we have had some issues lately with your seating appliances and cleanliness. This past weekend my family and I have visited we were satisfied by the wide selection of movies and friendly staff.

As we were seating our selves in the theater we saw black stains on the rug and oily floors even after the janitor cleaned it. Then while we were sitting my little brother had almost fallen from the oil and butter on the floor while getting up to use the restroom. Also as we were leaving we had felt as if we were bathed in popcorn butter and people waste. We felt dirty, oily, and stink, we have been satisfied for years but now the facilities are out-dated and dirty.

Also on more than one occasion we have felt gum under the seats, on the ground, or fresh under our shoe. We are a clean and organized family so it couldn’t have been us. We only as that you take the time to fix your theaters. We know that you guys have new management and its hard to run an entire mall, but neglecting it wont help either, it will only hurt sales, and bring down the malls reputation.

Too add to the list near the end of the hall were the farthest theaters are it seems scary, dark and uninhabited. It has rare activity, which gives us the impression that we are not welcome. It also looks neglected, inside especially. We understand the employees cost money and money is hard to get.

Besides the cleanliness the staff is mostly nice and helpful and your restrooms are well kept. We like the arcade games to keep our selves busy.

Sincerely,

Austin Debina-Bautista