Social media, for the distorted models they offer "can represent" hell "explains the director, Maruska Albertazzi (who suffered from anorexia in the 90s), but
on Instagram there is also a world of 'recovery' profiles
created by girls intent on winning the battle against eating disorders (such as anorexia, bulimia but also binge eating, that is compulsive binges), and not only, who strengthen each other. An exciting and little known reality told by
Hangry Butterflies
, the documentary presented to Alice nella Città at the Rome Film Fest, in cinemas from 23 to 25 November with an event release distributed by Blindspot, also producer with Rai Cinema.
The non-fiction film follows the first
or live meeting in Florence of the online community linked by the hashtag #larivincitadellefarfalle
.
Girls between 14 and 22 like Chiara (determined to become a doctor just to help overcome these problems) Giulia, Vera ("I realized I had to stop when on a birthday I no longer even had the strength to blow out the candles"), Nicole , Beatrice, Emma ("I once looked at myself in the mirror as I got out of the shower and I hated myself") sharing their stories.
To them is added, among others, also the testimony of Alessandra, from a hospital bed;
of the singer-songwriter Giulia Anania, who shares her music and her traumatic experience and experts in the field such as Prof. Lucio Rinaldi, psychiatrist and Prof. Silvia della Casa, endocrinologist.
A true and current look at a relevant part of society: in fact,
over 3 million people in Italy live with eating disorders.
Between these 2 million and 300 thousand are adolescents.
The title of the documentary recalls the neologism born by combining "hungry" - hungry - and "angry" - angry "- and describes that feeling of nervousness, anger and restlessness that we get when we are hungry and cannot eat." The decision to open a restaurant. profile on instagram - explains Chiara - was born from my need to help others with my experience ". Nicole arrived on social networks" when I had my worst period, and I was at the lowest weight, I risked not opening the eyes.
I felt I had to do something for myself.
So
we give each other strength
, a bond of sisterhood has been created. "Profiles through which photos and videos of their meals are shared,
we talk about victories
(how to face food challenges, for example, eating ice cream)
but also about the defeats that occur. overcome all together
. A battle in which you are constantly confronted with the gaze of others, who tie anorexia only to very thin people or believe that eating disorders only affect women.
"The number of boys is growing
- explains Rinaldi - and in the case of binge eating, men and women are the same. "
The months of the pandemic" worsened the eating disorders
, they increased by 30 - 40% - the psychiatrist emphasizes -.
WHO has raised an alarm, the precariousness of the lockdown has led many other people to
anorexiform symptoms
.
This is why we are also building new prevention tools with the ISS. "Eating disorders cannot be considered" a disease of series b - adds the director - it is the first mental pathology for mortality ".