graceeheslin
I have struggled with anorexia; and I found that this film really captured the emotional struggle of the illness. It explored the mindset and what goes on inside the persons head very well, and I hope it helps others understand what the disorder is really like to go through. I found it very relatable and sensitively done. It was also nice that they didn't really talk about weight, as for many it has nothing at all to do with weight/ appearances. It is often a coping strategy as seen in this film. Very well done.
hahollinshead
After knowing Troian Bellisario as her most renowned role of Spencer Hastings, I'd like to begin my review by commending Troian on her absolute raw talent as an actress. Not once did I confuse the two characters. Not once did I see Spencer- this was purely Olivia. Feed was artistic, beautifully ugly, vehement, and so much more. In comparison to To The Bone, Feed delved deep into the sole cause of an eating disorder, allowing non-sufferers to experience and understand what it's really like in the mind of someone with anorexia. To personify the voice in her head as her deceased twin was something done so subtly, but with such artistic intelligence and in the final scenes, when she battles internally, truly makes one sympathise with Olivia. Congratulations, Troian. This is the most thought provoking movie I have seen in a long time, it's just a shame it came out so close to To The Bone, because this film deserves every award and tenfold.
leestein
I really enjoyed this movie. I felt the acting and writing were both very well done - the story really took you with her into her world and descent into what manifested as her eating disorder (which is why I think the falling metaphor is used throughout) and the struggle to try and climb back up. I felt the relationship with her twin brother and the use of his character to illustrate her fall was well executed. I did have a bit of a struggle with their relationship at times. There were glimpses of something more, almost incest, but you know that is just from her mind so was there something to that potential story line? He seemed very angry with her at the party when he saw her with her boyfriend - more so than I would think would come from a 'protective brother' anger and I was left with that question, unanswered by the movie. Was he that angry because there were feelings of closeness that went beyond 'normal' between siblings or was it something else? I also was left with a few questions about Casey's character - similar to those another reviewer already mentioned. Still, I enjoyed the movie very much. I thought the ending was well done and true to struggles with ED or and other mental disorders, such as depression/anxiety. There's no quick fix or "cure" - there is always a struggle of some form.
lp6199
It's hard not to review this film without comparing it to To the Bone, due to them tackling the same subject matter and coming out so close to one another. But watching To the Bone first really enabled me to put my finger on what it was I liked so much about this film, and why it was so different to other portrayals of anorexia I've seen. It really allowed you to get into the mind of the sufferer, and drove home the fact that it is more than just not eating, that it is all consuming and that it becomes your reality. Where I saw To the Bone as a kind of surface level exploration of the disease and the way it's perceived by others, that ultimately added nothing much to what people already know about it, you can see that Feed was created with the sole intention of allowing people to empathise and understand this condition more. It let us get into the mind of the individual rather than just watch them, and not once did I feel as if it was used as a plot device or a quirk to drive another story.Anorexia never had to even be said out loud, and yet we saw it through Liv's visions of her brother, who I suppose is the physical incarnation of the voice that an individual hears. The way it was done was very clever, and less obvious. The whole thing was beautifully shot, acted and written. Lastly, I thought the ending was very, very realistic and true to how an individual with an ED really moves on with their life, and the nature of recovery.
AD
