by Kailee Andrews/Cinemacy.com
Marti Noxon is a television visionary, but you probably haven’t heard of her. As a screenwriter and producer, she shaped two of television’s modern classics, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Mad Men, and even stepped in as show-runner for Buffy’s controversial, ambitious final seasons. Clearly a force to be recognized, Noxon’s debut feature film, To The Bone, resembles television in the best possible ways. It’s character-driven, limber in its’ movement between comedy and tragedy, and extends the character’s life well beyond the moment.
We begin with Ellen (Lily Collins), a 20-year-old artist suffering from anorexia. She has dropped out of school and is shuffled between treatment programs. None have worked. So, with exhaustion, Ellen agrees to treatment with an unconventional doctor, played with a stern warmth by Keanu Reeves. You may now feel a building sense of skepticism and comparison to other films where sick, smart-mouthed teens deal with existential questions and benefit from the guidance of a cool mentor. However, Noxon and her team are the perfect, passionate crew for telling this story with authenticity and charm. And that achievement begins with the fully realized protagonist.
We meet Ellen in stasis. Fearing her past and unwilling to build a future, she worries that she’s moved from personhood to burden-hood in the minds of her family, and herself. She is smart and sympathetic, but, and this is key, the film wisely avoids romanticizing her appearance or mindset.
Lily Collins gives a lovely performance but when the camera is trained on her body it maintains a clinical gaze. In an industry that praises, and often demands, that women make themselves small, Noxon’s film employs costumes, lighting, and a body double to show us life-threatening weight loss. Likewise, as we enjoy the frequent laugh out loud dialogue, Noxon and Collins carefully remind us that same wit can heel-turn into a biting, outward expression of Ellen’s own self-hate. For instance, in one excellent bit of physical humor, a friend of Ellen’s performs an inspired, When Harry Met Sally style sexual encounter with a chocolate bar. Ellen laughs along before snapping when she realizes that even this moment among friends can’t break her compulsive calorie control. This is a very responsible film. It’s also a reminder of the necessity of giving artists the freedom to tell their own story.
Marti Noxon and Lily Collins both were once young women with eating disorders, and Noxon’s script includes autobiographical details. The material is elevated by the specificity both bring to the table.
To the Bone is a masterclass in taking a deeply felt, personal story and dramatizing it into a stylish, strange, and powerful film. It’s a moving exploration of a disease that affects millions and is often misjudged as vanity rather than a true illness deserving of treatment. It’s unafraid to incorporate weird, specific details that can come with anorexia, such as being bottle-fed as an adult. The characters’ problems aren’t resolved by speechifying doctors; the film is wise enough to say that professional treatment and community are so, so essential but one’s personal will is the critical leap. To the Bone is a worthy entrance into film from one of television’s fiercest, funniest writers. Marti Noxon’s project stands on the vanguard of the fight for women’s stories to be seen for what they are, which is as commercial and fully cinematic as anything.
To the Bone is not rated. 107 minutes. Now streaming on Netflix.
