The Self Portrait

This is not a documentary that tries to explain anorexia from the outside, but rather a biographical film that shows the experience of anorexia from the inside. The filmmakers are hardly present at all - the whole film revolves around and moves forward with Lene.

We get some insight into why and how her illness developed, but mostly we get to see and hear her daily thoughts and feelings of living with it. What makes this film so exceptional is the artistic work that Lene does to help herself and others understand those feelings and thoughts. The film shows a lot of her photography paired with Susanne Sundførs music, and together they create an otherworldly, haunting beauty the like of which I've never seen before.

Most documentaries about eating disorders concentrate on the visible symptoms of the illness - struggling with food, vomiting, weighing etc. There's none of that in this film. Instead we get to witness Lene's reflections on mortality and anxiety, in her own words and her own time. The result is a thoughtful and touching portrait of a complex human being in her entirety.

It's hard to describe just how powerful this film is, it sneaks up on you and punches you in the heart. Lene Marie Fossen was a talented Norwegian photographer who died after fighting anorexia since she was a kid. You can clearly see the person that she was, through her passion and her self reflection in this documentary. The most powerful images and words through the movie are the ones from Lene herself. The filmmakers didn't try to create a story, they let Lene be herself and followed her lead. This is a must see for anyone who has a loved one with an eating disorder, a loved one who has been sick for a long time or simply, if you wish to be a better human being.

Cannot recommend this film enough!

I couldn't find this movie anywhere until this year and I'm so happy I looked for it every once in a while. It's beautiful, the lingering shots on faces where you can see so many emotions, the photographs, the music (huge fan of Susanne, that's how I heard about this movie). You can sympathise with every person, feel the helplessness of her parents after so many years. Truly an emotional rollercoaster that is a must see if you can! I could hear, and I was, sobbing in the cinema from the beggining to the end.