Earlier this year, Netflix paid eight million dollars for the screening of Marti Noxon (UnREAL, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) directorial debut To the Bone at the Sundance Film Festival. The film was positively received by critics and currently holds an 80% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with the release streaming date set for July 14th of this year. To prepare audiences for this dark comedy-drama, a trailer has been released detailing the film’s plot and how it will affect the journey of the main character.
According to the synopsis by EW, To the Bone stars Lily Collins as 20-year-old Ellen, whose anorexia causes her to drop numerous calories below the normal weight line and has spent most of her life in and out of various treatment centers. When her stepmother Susan (Carrie Preston) sends her to a new treatment facility, Ellen expects to find more of the same. Instead, she discovers that the center, led by the unconventional Doctor William Beckham (Keanu Reeves), offers a more unorthodox approach to dealing with her disorder. Alongside Dr. Beckham and the facility’s other residents, Ellen will go on a funny and thought provoking journey that will make her consider how much her life is worth living.
According to a photo diary with EW released here, Noxon opened up on why she was compelled to make a film about this particular subject. “What I’m trying to do is bring understanding and compassion to an issue that touches way more people than we realize,” she wrote. “And I want more people to talk about how much food and body image affect men and women and keep us from loving the moment we’re in.” For both Noxon and Collins, their past experience with eating disorders will have shaped the film’s story and the personality of its protagonist, which should result in a message that is tragic, uplifting and genuinely authentic.
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