You ever start watching a movie and right off the bat you know you’re never gonna be the same afterwards? Thats how it felt seeing Superstar, directed by Todd Haynes and available for free on Youtube, for the first time. I had heard about it a couple times before and I’ve always loved The Carpenters, so I turned it on last night and was shocked into silence too many times to count. There’s so much to unpack, and so much I can use for inspiration for my own film.
The opening was HORRIFYING. Hearing Karen’s mom walk across the house I could barely look at the screen since, knowing about Karen Carpenter’s story already, I knew what had happened. The way that tension was built was so effective. While I don’t want to be creepy in my own opening, I definitely got the vibe of Superstar from the start, which is what I want to accomplish.
The little cards giving us extra information about anorexia are a really interesting choice. I won’t use this idea, but it helps me visualize what I want my credits and title card to look like with the font. I also really like how much the cards discuss the relationship between eating disorders and women’s opression, even talking about the commodificaiton of womens bodies, which I always thought was a more postmodern feminist concept. They also talk about how eating disorders aren’t always just about weight loss, but about control in a world where women’s bodies have been controlled by others for so long. This is an extremely real theme that I have NEVER seen brought up in any other media surrounding eating disorders, further separating Superstar from other films.
“In a culture that continues to control women through the commodification of their bodies, the anorexic body excludes itself, rejecting the doctrines of femininity, driven by a vision of complete mastery and control.”
Of course there’s the elephant in the room, the dolls. While I was confused when I first heard about this film and wondered why dolls would be used in place of actors, I quickly forgot I was even watching dolls and, as Karen’s doll’s figure slowly slimmed down, I understood. Barbie dolls. Beautiful faces and cinched waists. The epitome of beauty and the haunting figure in a girl’s mind, telling her she can always look better.
Additionally, the film also has a sibling relationship as a major theme. The dialogue between the two characters, while a bit exaggerated, is realistic and something I can take note from.
“What are you trying to do, ruin both our careers?! Jesus..”
(Side note, the description of the disorder included in the film is suprisingly still kind of accurate:)
“The term “anorexia” means “lack of appetite,” yet those who suffer from it are obsessed with food and its preparation, while they deny their own hunger and their bodies need for nutrition.”
Even though there were very few real people shown in the movie, the portrayal of Karen’s anorexia was grittier and more real than any other representation I’ve ever seen.