Customer Reviews

Thin

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Through the years, I have had several friends with anorexia and/or bulimia--so when I saw this HBO documentary, I thought I'd give it a look. "Thin" tells the story of Florida's Renfrew Center which is a treatment facility for eating disorders. Following four women specifically, we see some of their emotional highs and lows and the Center's process of recovery in great detail. I've always associated eating disorders with younger (college or high school age) women, so for me it was fascinating to see the diverse cross section of older and even well-established women facing these issues.

The women are candid and it seems as if we have an all access look into their lives. Particularly interesting to me is how supportive friendships can be formed--but in some cases, those can also be enabling. One clique, in particular, starts to take on a negative image when they start disregarding the rules. The sincerity of some of the women wanting to get well is always a question--some work the program hard, some fight it. And the staff must be caring, yet tough enough to cut through the hypocrisy and deception. "Thin" also gives us a glimpse into some of the family dynamics which might have helped to trigger these illnesses. One of the most memorable moments for me is when a mother came to visit. She sits down to lunch with her daughter who is required to eat, and she disparages and picks apart the food served. She is absolutely oblivious to the negative implication this might have on her daughter.

Near the beginning of the picture, one of the women remarks about her life--"I used to have a personality." This is an interesting and powerful idea. The women in trouble have gotten so caught up in their illnesses, they've forgotten how to live. And this notion is repeated throughout by many of the patients. In one of the more moving confessions, one 25 year old patient speculates what her life might have been like had she gotten treatment when she was 15. It's so emotionally raw (she is trying to convince 15 year old Brittany to take advantage of her youth) because she recalls all the normalcy and joy she has missed out on.

Ultimately, this is a documentary. There is no happy Hollywood conclusion, just an insightful look into an all too prevalent problem. KGHarris, 11/06.

As someone recovering from an eating disorder, I have noticed that there is a continuing problem with much of the eating disorder literature and media available today; while it effectively serves as an educational tool for those trying to understand the dark world of eating disorders, it can often serve as a trigger for those trying to recover from an eating disorder. However I have found that Lauren Greenfield's work, both on her Thin documentary and book, does not do this. In fact, Greenfield's work is the first piece of information on eating disorders that has truly repulsed me from the very condition of having an eating disorder. This is the first time I have ever felt this way, and that is very significant, because the difficult part of breaking away from disordered eating is actually seeing that it is a repulsive act.
For this reason, I highly recommend both the book and the documentary for those who actively want to recover, and need inspiration, and to those who are having a difficult time understanding why a friend or loved one is going through it. Greenfield pulls no punches and does not sugar coat any aspect of the girls recovering at the Renfrew Center in Florida (to my knowledge there are no males shown at this facility when the filming occurs, despite the fact that there are men with eating disorders too) Be warned the footage is graphic - there is a lot of vulgar language, views of these women throwing up (one even literally tosses her small dog out of the bathroom, then locks the dog in a crate just so she can have privacy while she vomits), and both the book and the DVD show women's scarred bodies both from self-mutilation and from suicide attempts.
All in all, I am very impressed with Greenfield's work. Well done.

I definitely agree that this documentary is limited in it's portrayal of the "reality" of eating disorders and treatment. For several reasons, this still isn't the ULTIMATE look into the lives of eating disordered patients, though it's the best to date. Patients do die as a result of eating disorders, 7%-10%, a fact that is not made out as a very serious in this film, any one of the women portrayed were on the brink when they arrived. You lose the fact that most eating disorder patients, patients with symptoms as serious as those of Shelly and even those with less serious symptoms, spend their ENTIRE LIVES fighting. Spending years in many different types of treatment, being treated, inside & outside residential treatment centers, as if they should "just eat" because family members and friends don't understand. As frustrated as those around us can get, understanding the thinking seems to be harder than most any other "mental" illness, because why can't we "just eat?" I think this film does a good job of portraying how nurses and other personnel act towards patients, and how patients, both inside and outside of treatment, feel that they are not only misunderstood, but basically treated as though our illnesses are just a burden, so "get over it" so to speak, when in fact it is MUCH more complicated.

The only other thing left out of this movie is the fact that men can also have eating disorders and that there are treatment centers out there that are for males AND females, though many are just for females. From my viewpoint, the film also shows the importance of small 6-8 patient residential treatment centers since at least three of the four patients left too abruptly and returned to their disordered behavior immediately after leaving treatment. Such a large group as The Renfrew Center allows "cliques" to form, rivalries, and lack of trust which is a major source treatment failure because patients won't open up to one another. In regards to the facility in this film, the life of a patient is also limited, whereas other treatment centers with fewer patients find help not just through talking & eating together, but through learning how to be comfortable with everyday tasks like grocery shopping, eating at restaurants, finding hobbies that bring them joy, and many other "outings" to treat the whole person and prepare them for a completely new (and hopefully improved) life without an eating disorder.

The description above "Thin offers hope, but no happily-ever-after ending for these women" is truely the lesson of the disorder and of this film. Like alcoholism, you never truely "recover," but if you are one of the lucky ones, you can reach a state of constantly being "in recovery," always with starvation and purging in the back of your mind.

Insurance companies today have somehow moved up in rank over our doctors, telling us when we're well, what medications we can take, and what treatments will work, despite the fact that they don't know us, don't have medical degrees, and don't know anything about anything. The statement made "People treat it like a cold, but it's more like cancer" is not only how PEOPLE treat eating disorders, but how INSURANCE treats them. This film should stand as a testament to all eating disorders who are still struggling due to insurance companies who WON'T LET US GET HELP.

About 9 years ago, I was a patient at Renfrew for 2 1/2 months. The program was different then than it is now however it was what I needed at the time. When I myself go into treatment, I do not focus on "cure" or "recovery" because these are only definable by the struggling individual. Probably the greatest thing I got at Renfrew was the idea of self-empowerment. I was able to turn my fight with the staff and use it to fuel my fight with my ED.
I think the film made clear how incredibly hard it is to deal with treatment and insurance. Studies have shown a little bit of treatment can by worse than no treatment at all. The USA Health Care really needs to reassess how they decide to fund treatment.
However, one thing about the film was very disturbing. Some of the scenes were of the staff talking about the patients and hte vitriol, lack of empathy, and in some ways, lack of understanding were quite clear and I have to ask how such attitudes might ultimately affect everyone. At one point, one of the staff says "[She] is a bad seed." I mean that
s not a helpful comment and is as if the staff has lost the ability to seperate the ED from the person, which is essential if help is to be effective.
I would urge others with ED who watch this film to remember EVERYONE's treatment is different. Just because something happens to one of the girls being followed does NOT mean it will happen the anyone else.

Having struggled with my own eating disorder for nearly 17 years now, I was drawn to this show primarily out of curiosity. I recently spent 6 mo. at a treatment center, and wanted to see what the Renfrew Center was like in comparison.

This video gives a highly accurate portrayal of what it's really like to have an ED, and spend time in treatment, away from friends and family. The friendships formed, do in fact develop on such deep, intense levels. I commend Lauren Greenfield et. al. for opening the curtains on this disease, and showing the reality of it-- but in a tsteful manner (no pun intended). It was like watching a film of my own time in treatment.

So many magazines out there glamourizes and/or sensationalizes eating disorders. This movie does neither, but rather shows the destructive nature, both mentally and physically. It's NOT just a group of thin girls talking about wanting to be smaller. A perfect tool for classroom discussion, or for family and friends of those with an eating disorder.

You will not be disappointed.

PS. though this is NOT "pro-ana" I am giving it that tag (among others), in hopes that someone who uses pro-ana as a search word will come across this.

I thought it was excellent and as someone who has been in these people's shoes I have to say it was a very good representation. It was shown just as it really is. However as a recovering [...]/bulimic I had to process afterwards. It is TRIGGERING and it caused me to relive emotions but it also helped to remind me I dont want to feel that way again.
I think it would be helpful for friends/family, probably not for somebody who is struggling.
Overall very good!

This documentary focuses more on the ridiculously bureaucratic and rule-driven "treatment" facilities that are available to those suffering from eating disorders than the eating disorders themselves. I think this was a deliberate choice of focus on the part of the director: she shows that what these women are attempting to get from their disorders is control, and yet, in a bitterly ironic twist, the only treatment options that have been devised by allegedly brilliant "experts" are ones which infantilize and control them (i.e. setting up room searches, dining room rules, childish counseling, no tattooing allowed, no smoking, petty talking behind patients' backs on the part of staff, no clique formations etc.) These treatments do NOT work, as is evinced by the lousy success rate--so are they harming the clients more than they are helping them? Is this the best psychology can come up with? I think the questions raised by the film should trouble the sleep of those treating eating disorders. Clearly, they as yet still do not understand the disorder. In the case of the facility featured in "Thin," they are approaching the clients as if starvation/purging were a rational CHOICE rather than a complex disease that affects cognition itself.
A good documentary, but infuriating. Don't expect many answers about anorexia etc. to be answered, however.

this documentary was an amazing portrayal of women and eating disorders. but as a person who was a patient at renfrew, i have to say this could definitely be a trigger to women in recovery. it was amazingly done and gave a very raw feeling of what it really is like to be plagued with this disease, but it will probably be very difficult for recovering bulimics/anorexics to watch. highly recommended though!!!

This video has gained a nearly cult-like following for those in the eating disorder community, both for those who think an eating disorder is an actual illness, and those who think it's a choice. They flock to find someone to bond with, knowing they are not alone in their thoughts. It can be triggering for many, and be the breaking point to seek help for others.

I think this video serves as an excellent example of how much of an illness this really is. It shows the milestones many reach, the challenges, the difficulty of recovery, but it doesn't show everything. It doesn't show how one gets there--what would be even more heartwrenching is watching someone slowly drift off into a world of weight, calories, numbers, and fear.

There are several girls who hint at how sad it is that making weightloss a top priority...mainly, Allie and Jen. It's a struggle to battle that voice telling you to lose weight and your own common sense. Allie sums it up quite well when they're all in group therapy before Brittany begins to cry.
It is a very touching movie, but it only shows about 25% of the whole reality. If you thought that video was heartwrenching, imagine living life with a disorder or having a loved one with the disorder. It does show only a few of the breakdowns the sufferer will have, when everything becomes too much, but I wish it showed more. Again, how do you get to a point when trying on clothes makes you cry? When starving becomes a priority? When you use your own children to fuel your problem?

This movie is highly recommended for people who think an eating disorder is a choice, and for those who have trouble understanding why someone would do this self-destructive thing. Remember, this is only a small peek into the lives of the victims--there is so much more.

As a sufferer of an eating disorder for almost four years now, I would like to applaud Lauren Greenfield for making this extremely moving, heartbreaking documentary that shows the true, dark side of eating disorders. There are all sorts of documentaries and informational videos on eating disorders out there, but none of them compare to this one. I've found that a majority of them merely just give facts about eating disorders, and don't go so deep as to show all aspects of what its like to have one. This documentary brought me to tears, just from seeing the previews alone. And with other documentaries, I've found that many of them might be very triggering to people with this disease, while this one makes you realize why you want to stop with the destructive behaviors and makes you crave a healthy, happy life. Another good thing about this documentary is the fact that it not only shows extremely thin women, but women of average sizes and above. That just goes to show that people who have eating disorders aren't always necessarily emaciated, but are still in just as much danger.

The documentary goes inside of Renfrew, a Florida treatment facility, showing a variety of different women, but mainly focuses on four different women, struggling for recovery in hopes of living a normal life.

Shelly, polly, brittany, and alisa are the main focuses of this documentary, all with a variety of eating disorders, and all with a variety of different backgrounds that helped to contribute to their eating disorders.

This is a very powerful, heartwrenching, in-depth documentary that takes you into the minds of the women and their daily struggles in the clinic as they fight for recovery.

This film had me in tears from the moment it started, to the last minute when the end credits started rolling. I could see different aspects of myself in each of the women shown, but the fact that they participated and showed their daily struggles to the world gave me hope for my own recovery. This documentary paints an unpretty, totally true pictures of what its like to be in the devastating cycle of an eating disorder.

The ending is probably the most powerful part of the documentary, as it gives you information about what went on with the women after leaving Renfrew, showing that all of them relapsed, and were still struggling with their disease. That is the sad, unfortunate part of the disorder, that it doesn't just go away with the snap of your fingers. I also feel that was the most important part because it shows people just how serious the disease is.

I also wanted to extend my sorrow about Polly, who took her own life a few months back. Even though I didn't know her, I felt like I got to know her after having seen this documentary so many times, and she was truly an inspiration to me and a variety of other people in the eating disorder community. At the very least, as unfortunate as this is, I am happy to know that she is finally at peace and will no longer have to struggle. Despite her being gone, she still continues to inspire me each and everyday.

Final words- watch this documentary, whether or not you have an eating disorder because I feel more people need to be aware of the extremely misunderstood world of eating disorders. And be sure to also check out the THIN book, which gives you a glimpse into the womens lives after the cameras stopped rolling.