To the Bone

I have struggled with an eating disorder since I was 15 years old. In my early twenties I didn't deal with it appropriately only to end up working for a group of wellness clinics... the biggest one for eating disorders. From here onward you can guess I had a massive anorexic/bulimic relapse (in my late 20's), and I went through my companies own in patient unit and several others... In my early 30's I finally made the leap, quit my triggering job and took a year off to heal. I did CBT (group therapy), shrink, psycho therapy, dietitian/nutritionist, etc etc. I am now I'm my mid 30's and I am FINALLY OK with myself, kinder to myself and able to accept myself as I am and enjoy food again. Why did I write this entire cathartic blurb? Because this movie is INCREDIBLY accurate and well made! Now only does it pretty much mirror my own relationship with myself and others, I really identified with the defiant and guarded girl Lily Collins portrayed! I literally broke down in tears at the mother/daughter breastfeeding scene... it made me think of my own issues with my mother and her inability to both breastfeed and connect with me. At my stage of healing I did not find it triggering, but that's not to say that those who are actively struggling with their own wellness might not benefit from watching it. All I can say is that the acting was spot on, as was the the secrecy,tortured, shameful and painful nature of eating disorders... during mine I did it all; starvation, binging, purging, cutting, overdosing, laxatives, diuretics, hiding food/puke/stool, you name it! But not anymore because, just like in this movie, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Now, this is purely my opinion and if you disagree all the power to you. However, I have struggled with anorexia for most of my life, since I was seven in fact. I was lucky enough to never end up in a clinic, but I do know what they are like. This whole "we won't force you to eat or do room searches" just isn't accurate. If you do get to the point where you have to do inpatient, it's nothing like this. You can expect to sit with others and finish your food in a certain amount of time, and you have to (or say hello to the tube or soylent). You can expect room searches for things such as vomit stashes, diet pills, razors, and just about anything else. Forget trying to secretly burn calories because they will literally sit you down and have some one watch you to make sure you aren't so much as tapping a finger.

On the other hand I think this movie did it's best and I appreciate all the actors and directors hard work. However I really don't think this portrays what living with an eating disorder is like. The control aspect they definitely nailed, how family members handle disorders and inpatient treatment I feel was gravely off. Of course I only have my experience and those that have been willing to share theirs with me.

When I heard about this movie I was sceptical. I am a male who has suffered from Anorexia since I was 14 (I am 25 now) and have been in 2 inpatient units during this time. I have gone from a weight that literally caused my heart to stop to one that is normal according to society and have recently graduated to become a doctor.

To The Bone starts off with an all too familiar look into the life of someone with an eating disorder in an inpatient unit. Once she is 'let loose' into the world she is clearly no where close to recovery. We get some degree of insight into her life struggling with her condition. Lily Collins is perfectly suited to this role given her eating disorder history. I am slightly concerned that this role may have set something off in her mind to trigger a relapse (if not now, then in the future), but as long as she has been able to cope I am more at ease. The attention to detail into her character's daily life is incredible. From being able to recite calories in foods to the countless hours spent doing sit-ups in her room, I was amazed as to how accurate they wanted this movie to be. In my eyes, it was in no way an exaggeration and could be considered an under- representation as to the daily life of someone with an eating disorder.

As the story progresses the tone becomes a lot more serious. It makes it quite hard to watch at times, because you do feel concerned for the well being of the main character and her family. It certainly made me emotional at times because it re- surfaced memories of things I put me and my family through. Again, this just highlights how eerily accurate the film portrays the condition. I could literally put names of people I met during recovery to the faces of the characters (patients, doctors, nurses and family members included).

Aside from being concerned as to the well being of Lily Collins in this role, the other problem I had going into watching this movie was that it may glamorise eating disorders. However, after the first 10 minutes of watching it I knew this was not the case. It felt a lot more like seeing the world through a real anorexic's eyes.

The other obvious problem I had was that this may be potentially 'triggering' for people with eating disorders. I still have this reservation, however I cannot conceive any way a film like this could not have been triggering. Every person experiences an eating disorder differently and have their own personal triggers. Anything in this film could have been triggering for different reasons. What I know is that those without the condition will receive an invaluable insight into the life of someone with an eating disorder. In a world where awareness for such disorders is certainly on the up, many people still think eating disorders are a 'life choice' and that sufferers should just eat. i hope this film makes people realise the daily struggles of sufferers and that it offers sufferers ambition to recover.

This was the perfect opportunity to clear up so many myths about eating disorders, especially anorexia. But we saw Hollywood's version of recovery and their version of Anorexia Nervosa an often fatal mental illness.

They should have addressed so many real issues but they padded it out with fluff.

Do NOT watch this if you have suffered from an eating disorder. It is vert difficult to handle even if the disorder has long been recovered from. The movie weirdly enough made me want to stop eating again. I had to stop watching it halfway through. I do NOT recommend! However, for people who have not suffered from eating disorders, please do watch! It helps people gain a better understanding, which is why I gave it a 6/10.