Review of Disfigured

Originally published in Seawanhaka, September 2008

The independent release Disfigured is marketed as “a film about women and weight.” This is certainly true – weight and body image issues are at the center of the plot – but it is also a story of friendship and the bond that forms between two women who seem incredibly different.

Darcy is an anorexic real estate agent who views her thin body as obese. Lydia is a plus-sized store clerk filled with insecurities and self-hatred. When Darcy tries to join a fat activism group she is abruptly and unceremoniously rejected. Lydia, a member of the group, is the only person to support her, saying their group shouldn’t have a weight limit and that they should be accepting of anyone who would like to join. The group also rejected an idea Lydia had to start a “fat acceptance walking group.”

At the first meeting of Lydia’s walking group, she finds herself face-to-face with Darcy, who offers to help her promote the club. The two begin talking and strike up an unlikely and eventful friendship, eventually revealing how much they actually have in common.

The only other person to show up to that first walking group session is Bob, an overweight man with whom Lydia develops a “friends with benefits” relationship. When he reveals that he is having gastric bypass surgery to lose weight, this unleashes Lydia’s own insecurities about her body. She approaches Darcy and asks for “anorexia lessons,” an idea at which Darcy initially balks but eventually agrees to. Darcy begins teaching Lydia to starve herself and excessively monitor both her diet and exercise. During this process they realize that their respective issues are more alike than they seem. Both have problems surrounding food that connect to emotional issues. Both deal with outside pressure to change. Both struggle with relationships and social activities.

As the women become close, their differences do cause issues between them. While observing and critiquing people walking by, Lydia asks Darcy what she honestly thinks when she looks at her body, to which Darcy replies “I think it’s disgusting.” Late in the film, Lydia tries to convince Darcy to go on an eating binge, which causes a rift that culminates in their fighting about the mental state of Darcy’s eating disorder. Finally, once they resolve their argument, Darcy is shown contacting a therapist for help with her disorder and Lydia starts a body image group that includes women of different sizes.

The film offers a unique take on women and body image. It relies somewhat on stereotypes but overall it gives insight into how weight can impact the minds and lives of women. It takes an interesting stance by showing that two women who seems so different on the surface can actually be going through similar struggles. It also took a fresh stance with Lydia by portraying an overweight woman as something other than a punchline. It also portrayed Darcy as simply a person who happens to struggle internally with her eating disorder, as opposed to the usual image of the anorexic woman who is completely broken down and incapable of functioning normally.

Disfigured is not perfect, however. By showing the fat activist group at the beginning as exclusive and cliquey as well as portraying Lydia as a binge eater, it played into many pre-conceived notions. It seemed that the goal of displaying the friendship and the similar issues these women face could have been achieved with a less contrived plot. Lydia’s request for “anorexia lessons” was an unlikely and unrealistic occurrence, mainly due to how grossly insensitive it was on the part of her character. The relationship between Bob and Lydia ended with a fight, which felt it needed another resolution. Whether or not they wound up together, the argument didn’t feel final, like they needed another scene to complete their story.

The overall concept of this film was interesting. The dynamic between Lydia and Darcy was a unique take on female friendship, and brought forth an angle on the topic of body image that is rarely discussed. There are areas that could be improved, but the movie is worth watching.

Disfigured is written and directed by Glenn Gers and stars Deidra Edwards as Lydia, Staci Lawrence as Darcy and Ryan C Benson as Bob. It is available on DVD at major retailers as well as www.disfiguredmovie.com.