Disfigured

with Deidra Edwards

Viewed November 7, 2009

This was a very emotional, and yet satisfying, movie from the opening scene. The movie dealt with body image, both of people who are overweight and of those who are underweight (i.e., those who are "fat" and those who are anorexic).

Question 5 triggered a bunch of discussion about, first, being vulnerable when we reached out for help, and then about the ability to believe that there is actually help available. We decided that if we believe there is help available, that's an attitude of abundance, and if not, that's an attitude of lack. We wrestled with both of those concepts a lot, especially as they relate to our actual lives.

We asked questions like: Do we feel we have to do things only on our own? Do we feel like we're "philosophically lonely"? Do we believe there are others who are willing and eager to help us? How much of the "facts" of the situations in our lives are we actually seeing? Are there some resources that could be available to us that we are currently unaware of or ignoring? In what ways are we limiting our options in life by holding on to our beliefs that our options are limited?

So it wasn't only the movie that was satisfying, so was the discussion!
(This video was reviewed by Bob McGarey)

Feel free to come and share your own personal insights sometime; the Saturday Night Video and Discussions here in Austin, Texas are a lot of fun and fascinating. (They're free, too.) Here are the questions the group came up with, based on the personal growth themes in the movie:

DISFIGURED

  1. How am I like the people I think I have nothing in common with?
  2. How do I know if what I do to nurture myself is ultimately self-destructive?
  3. How willing am I to "be there" emotionally for people?
  4. How afraid am I of being fat?
  5. How have I handled it when I've reached out for help and been rebuffed?
  6. What was my trigger that made me start to love my body?
  7. How do I empower myself to confront a situation that challenges me?
  8. How much responsibility do I accept for my problems vs. blaming others and the world?