Thin (playing at the Forum this Wednesday)

by Christine Grummon

Five million Americans currently suffer from an eating disorder.

One in seven anorexic women will die from their disease.

It is with these grim statistics that the documentary Thin opens. Directed by Lauren Greenfield, the movie chronicles the lives of four women as they undergo treatment at the Renfrew Center, a recovery facility for people with eating disorders. The film introduces us to Shelly, Polly, Brittany and Alisa, women ranging in age from 15 to 30 with extensive histories of eating disorders.

Shifting focus from each of the patients’ stories, the film follows their victories, setbacks and the relationships each develops between the staff and other patients. We watch as the women struggle through seemingly mundane tasks like eating a birthday cupcake or finishing a slice of pizza.

Aside from the opening statistics and brief background descriptions of the four women, Thin makes almost no commentary on the events of the film. Through its intimate study of the four women, the film offers insight into the complicated psychology surrounding eating disorders. Pressure from family, peers, and society are all portrayed as culprits in the women’s suffering along with the failure of insurance companies to provide adequate coverage for treatment. The movie ends with the departure of each woman from the center, though not all of them leave because they’re physically or emotionally ready.

Thin presents an interesting and relevant study of those suffering from eating disorders, but it does leave something to be desired. Juggling the stories of four very different women, transitions between segments sometimes seem abrupt and each story doesn’t get equally thorough treatment. Follow-up interviews with the women after they had left treatment would also have been a worthwhile addition. But, on the whole, Thin presents an interesting portrait of what it means to have an eating disorder in America.