11 movies about eating disorders

Cinema is an art and at the same time, a tool that allows us to reflect and make visible many of the problems of society.

In the field of mental health, we see how numerous films have emerged in the cinema that address diverse topics, especially related to mental suffering and different mental disorders existing.

In this article we will review 11 movies about eating disorders, a group of very serious disorders that have reached the big screen; Two of them have especially done it: anorexia and bulimia.

• Related article: "The 10 most common eating disorders"

Recommended Eating Disorder Movies

As a result of what we saw in the introduction, in the field of psychopathology, a group of disorders widely depicted in movies, are eating disorders or conduct disorder food (TCA).

It is true that most movies about eating disorders depict anorexia and in to a lesser extent bulimia, and few talk about other eating disorders, such as binge eating disorder, for example. However, if we think about the incidence of anorexia and bulimia, this is not so strange, since, according to the DSM-5 (Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)

up to 0.5% of the population suffers from anorexia (90% are women), and between 1-3% suffer from bulimia (In this case, also 90% are women).

The severity of these disorders is very high, and their repercussions as well, so it is easy to understand that these eating disorders have reached the big screen in numerous films.

Here you will find a selection of several movies about eating disorders (from different eras).

1. Shared Secret (2000)

Film directed by Katt Shea, which focuses on the eating disorder (ED) of bulimia. Its protagonist is actress Alison Lohman, who plays Beth, the daughter of a child psychologist.

Her mother will soon notice how Alison behaves in an increasingly demanding way. Things get complicated but as a result the relationship between mother and daughter is strengthened.

• You may be interested: "Bulimia nervosa: binge eating and vomiting disorder"

2. Black Swan (2010)

A classic directed by filmmaker Darren Aronofsky and starring Natalie Portman. In this film the "central theme" is not eating disorders, however they do appear in it, hand in hand with the protagonist of her who, obsessed with perfection, comes to present symptoms related to this type of disorders.

The protagonist wants to succeed in the world of ballet, and therefore faces many obstacles, including herself. In addition, look at all costs for the thinness so characteristic of professionals in this sector.

3. For the Love of Nancy (1994)

The film, a little older than the previous ones, tells the autobiographical story of American actress Tracey Gold, who plays the role of Nancy. Nancy represents her own story and her experience through Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) associated with her anorexy.

Through the film, which is harsh, we see her suffering, as well as that of the people around her.

4. An Almost Perfect Daughter The Best Little Girl in the World (1981)

This is, surely, one of the first films on eating disorders, specifically, that deals with the subject of anorexia.

Its main actress is Jennifer Jason Leigh, who experiences all the typical symptoms of this aggressive disorder: vomiting, the obsession with intense physical exercise, the obsession to stay "thin" and not to gain a gram of weight ...

As relevant data of the film, the doctor who handles her case also appears, and who reflects on the great number of deaths associated with anorexia and on the weight of runway models in the obsession with thinness.

5. To the Bone (2017)

A more recent movie, which we can find on platforms like Netflix, is "To the Bone", one of the audiovisual works in which eating disorders become more important for the plot.

It is starring Lily Collins, tells us the experience of a girl, Ellen, who have severe anorexia. Ellen enters a kind of center where she will ask for help, and where she will be treated by an unconventional doctor.

6. Fear of Eating (Thin) (2006)

The next movie about eating disorders is "Fear of Eating", although in this case it is more of a documentary. The film, which has received very good reviews, shows us the serious effects that the anorexia in the physical and psyche of four women of different ages (between fifteen and thirty years).

These women recover from their disorders in a central Florida. This movie does not focus so much on eating disorders, but on its possible treatments and how they affect patients.

7. Cousin Amore (2004)

Italian film directed by Matteo Garrone and Massimo Gaudioso, it is a dramatic and erotic film, based on a novel by Marco Mariolini. The movie differs a bit from the previous ones, since focuses on idealization and male obsession with excessively thin women.

Through it we see how its protagonist, Vittorio, becomes obsessed with these types of women. He falls in love with Sonia, who does not have the ideal weight for him, and therefore she decides to lose weight, although as a result she will start the nightmare.

8. Innocence Interrupted (1999)

Another of the great films in which eating disorders have an important role is "Interrupted Innocence", starring Winona Ryder. The film not only focuses on eating disorders (both anorexia and bulimia), but also on another series of disorders and / or symptoms that frequently appear in adolescence.

9. Being Fat Like Me To Be Fat Like Me (2007)

As we can see, most movies about eating disorders treat anorexia, forgetting about other psychological disorders. "Being fat like me", instead, she treats another ED: binge eating disorder.

Starring Kaley Cuoco, who plays the role of Aly Schimdt, a pretty, slim girl who enters a contest to win money, although it is aimed at overweight people. As a result, Aly is ridiculed.

• You may be interested: "Binge eating disorder: causes, consequences and treatment"

10. Hunger to the limit (2015)

Another movie about eating disorders is "Hunger to the Limit." On this occasion, this focuses on support groups that are born on the internet to help these types of patientsAlthough, as we will see in the film, these can cause real damage if they are not carried out by qualified people.

This is how the protagonist of the film, Hannah, a dancer with anorexia that is getting worse as a result of joining these chat groups, which is highly detrimental to her mental and physical health, will live it.

11. Bad Habits (2005)

Mexican film directed by Simón Bross, which explains the life of a family with different eating disorders. Is about a social critique of the imposition of widely accepted canons of beauty. In the plot, the mother is ashamed of her daughter's overweight.

Bibliographic references:

• American Psychiatric Association -APA- (2014). DSM-5. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Madrid: Panamericana.
• Madruga, D., Leis, R. and Lambruschini, N. (2010). Eating behavior disorders: Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Diagnostic-therapeutic protocols of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition SEGHNP-AEP: 325-339.
• Salinas, D.F. (2011). The media, the ideals of beauty and the manifestation of anorexia. Zero point, 16 (23): 18-24.