All of Me is a 2013 American documentary film, that follows a group of obese women friends who decide to have adjustable gastric band or gastric bypass weight loss surgery.
All of Me is directed and produced by Alexandra Lescaze. Deborah Eve Lewis is co-producer and director of photography. The film was shot in Austin, TX.
All of Me [1] premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival in June 2013. The broadcast version of the film premiered on PBS's Independent Lens [2] on March 24, 2014.
Synopsis
The “girls,” as they call themselves, have been friends for years, having met through the Size Acceptance movement and the BBW community. They've unsuccessfully tried every diet and pill in an effort to lose weight. Getting older and facing more health and mobility challenges, they choose gastric band or gastric bypass surgery as a last resort.
With searing honesty, the girls take viewers through their struggles before and after surgery, including a host of issues and consequences, some they expected, some they feared, and some they never could have imagined. They have varied post-op experiences, but one reality is true for all of them—the surgery means the loss of their primary coping strategy (eating). And trying to shed hundreds of pounds changes everything in their lives—their health, their self-images, their marriages, and even their friendships.
Critical reviews
The Wall Street Journal said "This coolly penetrating film honors women who address the reality of their lives with ferocious eloquence… Outstandingly potent." [3]
All of Me was reviewed in The New York Times. [4] It was also reviewed in The New York Post, [5] among other places.
Awards
All of Me won an Audience Award at the 2013 Austin Film Festival. [6]
References
- ^ Ford, Rebecca (2013-06-14). "LAFF: 'All of Me' Introduces the Big Beautiful Women Club (Exclusive Video)". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
- ^ Lescaze, Alexandra. "All of Me | Obese Women Seek Weight-Loss Surgery | Independent Lens". PBS. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
- ^ Rabinowitz, Dorothy (2014-03-20). "Television Review: 'All of Me' Showcases Lives of Big, Beautiful Women". WSJ. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
- ^ "All of Me an Obesity Documentary on PBS". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
- ^ Miller, Gregory E. (2014-03-24). "PBS doc shows women's lives after gastric surgery | New York Post". Nypost.com. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
- ^ "Film Award Year 2013 - Austin Film Festival – The Writers Festival". Austinfilmfestival.com. 2015-11-05. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-11-12.