Director's Statement

The fact that I was ready and willing to make a film on this subject matter marks a very important transition in my life. I used to experience my struggle with bulimia as something very shameful and very private, something to be secretive about. Yet, as years went by, it turned out that a huge number of my friends have had similar problems. And I appreciated all of them very highly for who they were: they were all very intelligent, active, ambitious and nurturing women. And gorgeous on top of that. It struck me one day that while it would never cross my mind to look down on them for having an eating disorder to struggle with, just as you would not look down on someone who has to fight against cancer or the pain of losing a family member, I still felt so bad about having this problem myself. It struck me as hypocritical. It was as if my mind was saying: "it's OK for them, but it's not OK for YOU". And I decided to face this head-on and admit in public that I was bulimic. What kept me going was the statistics, which are so high, that it makes much more sense to say that WE, as a society, as a culture, have a problem, rather than saying "oh, I am a complete failure for not coping well" and shutting yourself off in your own private hell.

Since filmmaking is my profession of choice and also most natural means of self expression, it was a natural step from then on to make a film about what it actually meant.

My goal in making ”From the Body Cage” was to make all those who have not experienced eating disorders themselves, but came close to them through friends or family members, understand what it feels like, and why there are no easy solutions. It is also to make those who have experienced eating disorders feel less alone, and to show the younger population the depths of pain to which this road inevitably leads.