Released in 2006, the reality documentary THIN, directed by Lauren Greenfield and distributed by HBO, explored the Renfrew Center in Coconut Creek, Florida; a 40-bed inpatient facility for women with eating disorders. The film follows four women who suffer from anorexia and/or bulimia and their struggles to recover.
THIN is at the center of a multifaceted campaign exploring issues of body image and eating disorders, including a companion book, a traveling exhibition of Greenfield’s work and a website.
Greenfield, who previously filmed her book Girl Culture at Renfrew, returns here to direct her directorial debut Thin, which she co-produced with producer RJ Cutler.
Greenfield and cinematographer Amanda Mikkeli, who lived at the center for six months, were given full access to not only film the sessions, meals and daily weigh-ins that make up the highly structured daily lives of inpatients, but also The tumultuous lives of their relationships are explored, with relationships to family and staff. Attending staff meetings provides a glimpse into the efforts of the Renfrew medical team and the complex tasks they face.
The making of the documentary THIN is a continuation of decades of research into body image and how the female body has become the dominant expression of girl and womanhood in our day and age. I’m fascinated by how the female body can be a slate on which to write and rewrite our culture’s conflicting messages about femininity.
