Elle Fanning stars in a powerful short film about bulimia

ç

15-year-old Elle Fanning stars in Likeness, directed by cinematographer Rodrigro Prieto (Wolf of Wall Street,) a film about the maddening horrors of eating disorders.

Prieto conceived the film with the help of his daughter Ximena, who has struggled with eating disorders and body image. Elle begins the film by navigating through a mine-field (mindfield is more like it) of stick-thin models at a party, representing the images and messages that young girls are bombarded with every day. When she gets to the bathroom, she sees herself in a distorted way, which makes her go to the toilet to throw up. It can be triggering for those with eating disorders, but it may also make you see your world in a different way.

For Prieto and his daughter making this film was healing for them. “This was an important healing device for us, and hopefully a way to help other kids say, ‘I feel like that. I understand that,’” Prieto says. “It’s about being in a society where we feel judged, and are judging ourselves.”