Food addiction is something that doesn’t get much media coverage, unlike other types of addictions like drugs. Other than causing diabetes and heart disease, food addicts not only suffer psychologically but also socially, with the stigma of being overweight.
Director Mark Phinney discusses these issues and more in his movie 'Fat' (2013) that’s loosely based on his own experience. The main character is Ken (Mel Rodriguez), a young man who suffers from food addiction.
You’re put in Ken’s shoes from the first scene: waking up with an oxygen mask strapped over your face, not showering because of difficulties with your size, sweating profusely when doing simple tasks.
You accompany Ken to the doctor and the dietician visits - both concerned about his weight gain - where he lies about his diet and exercise efforts. When the dietician asks him to join Overeaters Anonymous (OA), he does it reluctantly.
There he encounters people like him who are struggling with their food addictions but with a difference: they’re open about it and happy to share their experiences while he’s in denial, which leaves him confused and reserved.
Unfortunately, Ken thinks that he’s in control when he’s not: he’s depressed and can’t change his habits even when he knows that it could mean an early death.
However, he has the support of his friend Terry (Jason Dugre), who keeps pointing out that Ken must take back control of his life even when he's still struggling emotionally with the loss of his mother.
Love suddenly appears in Ken’s life in the form of Audry, an overweight woman who understands what he’s going through but - unlike him - is taking control of her life by deciding to do a gastric band surgery to help her with weight loss.
Suddenly, Ken loses his job due to his poor performance, and his life seems to go on a downward spiral. Would he be able to take charge again?
The movie ends with a simple closing scene of Ken waking up in the morning and deciding to make up his bed - a striking contrast to the opening scene of his messy room - which indicates hope and positive changes ahead. There is nothing sugar-coated in this movie, even when it’s dealing with an addiction that’s unknown to many.
You can’t hear Ken thinking or talking about his food dependency or the reason behind it, yet his mindless eating and weight struggle make you sympathise with him even at the times when he gets verbally aggressive or defensive.
Mel Rodriguez depicts the character of Ken genuinely and with such familiarity that he’ll remind you of someone you know who’s going through the same struggle.
Through his facial expressions, he succeeds in displaying a range of emotions that many of us can identify with: acting cheerful when feeling down and being overpowered by poor self-esteem and constant fear of being rejected.
'Fat' is a low-budget movie that has the feel of a documentary, especially the dialogues between the characters that seem natural and spontaneous. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and received positive reviews from critics.
It’s an honest movie that leaves you perplexed at times, especially when you sense what Ken is thinking or feeling at certain situations that you’d take for granted, like shopping for new clothes or attending public events.
The movie highlights the need to empathise with the suffering of others in an age where social media is diminishing our ability to do so. Available on YouTube and highly recommended.
Rasha Al Raisi
The writer is the author of The World According to Bahja
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