The Weight of Perfection
The Weight of Perfection is the deep exploration of an elite-level gymnast Ellen and her harrowing journey as she falls into an eating disorder when the pressures from her coach, family, and herself begin to create a web of psychological damage.
Interview with Anabelle D. Munro, Leanne Melissa Bishop, Jennifer Oleff
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Thank you so much!
We set out to create something that would entertain, impact, and educate our audience in the intricacies of how an eating disorder (ED) is triggered and conversely what one looks like for someone with a long term condition.
We were inspired to make The Weight of Perfection because we wanted to expose how the pressures of life can build up to create an overwhelming amount of anxiety and emotional damage. Without proper coping tools the wounds caused by these offenses can become disastrous, so much so that the only coping tool becomes an eating disorder.
Each of us on the production team have had our own issues with EDs and we were able to bring an in depth understanding of this mental illness. Every journey is different but with our combined efforts and experiences we knew we could make something accessible for many people to understand more clearly the mystery of this mental illness.
Using film as our medium allowed us to creatively express and show these layers in a visually stunning way without having to verbally explain it, sparking the much needed conversations surrounding this topic.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
The Weight of Perfection is a captivating film that will engage people in a much needed conversation about eating disorders. The reason it is so important for this conversation to happen is because eating disorders are the most deadly mental illness but are the most difficult one for people to talk about. It has become much easier over the years to discuss sobriety and addiction, anxiety, depression, and a wide range of other mental illnesses but EDs continue to be the most stigmatized and misunderstood because of the lack of exposure.
Contrary to to the stereotype, eating disorders do not discriminate by age, race or sex and the stigma surrounding them prevents many people from understanding how and why someone develops one, or even recognizing that they may be suffering from one.
As an example of how present this mental illness is, more than 75% of the film’s team turned out to be ED survivors, we did not know this when we began building the team. We provided a safe space of sharing and connection and the magic created through this exchange translated straight onto the screen. The Weight of Perfection shows the horror, as well as the subtle temptations of an ED, and is filled with symbolism and psychological elements that explore the deep layers with an insight that only people who know can capture.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The Weight of Perfection is about the desire to be the best. But when perfection seems out of reach the cost to achieve it means sacrificing health, family, friends, love, joy, self worth, and ultimately the desire to live.
Universally most people can relate to ambition, validation, recognition, anything that motivates them to succeed. Most people can also relate to the pressures of social media, the desire to be perfect, and dangers of toxic relationships. These themes translate across every race, age, and sex. The question is, how far would you go to feel like you have succeeded, how many likes does it take to feel validated, will you ever stop feeling like you're missing out or not good enough? If you are one of the lucky ones, you will not cross the line into an eating disorder. But at the very least you may be able to relate to someone who has.
As we mentioned earlier this is a very personal story for us. We have each had our own issues with EDs and this production challenged us to confront the closely guarded secrets about our own eating disorders. Those same secrets are the ones that people need to share in order to understand the mind of someone dealing with an ED. This topic is more relevant than ever, especially after the Summer Olympics this year Following Simone Biles’s decision to focus on her mental health, the recent news about the Olympian Laurie Hernandez and her abusive USA gymnastics coach and Shawn Johnson East discussing her battle with an ED while attaining Olympic gold in gymnastics.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
Leanne approached Jennifer about a story she wrote inspired by her life in gymnastics. Excited about the opportunity to have the much needed conversation about EDs we decided to make a short film. Anabelle joined the team and brought her artistic vision to Leanne’s personal story. She focused on key artistic elements to strengthen the underlying layers of the story which included toxic entanglements, the social environment, dream psychology and symbolism, as well as a spiritual component. Once we began, the project came together very fast. We worked feverishly to complete the script while simultaneously crowdfunding on Seed & Spark and building our team. With clear intentions, a minimal budget and only 2 days to shoot, we hammered out all possibilities during pre-pro so no time would be wasted while shooting.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
We are receiving incredible feedback which is extremely satisfying particularly because it is coming from not only industry professionals and audience members, but ED organizations.
Industry professionals are calling it “Deep, powerful, visually stunning”
From Project Heal CEO Rebecca Eyre, MA, LMHC, "As an eating disorder therapist and as the CEO of Project HEAL, it is incredibly meaningful to me to see a film that truly honors the nuances and complexities of the eating disorder experience. Eating disorders affect people of all races, ages, and body sizes, and they're especially prevalent among athletes - all of which The Weight of Perfection does a brilliant job representing. The raw honesty of this film makes it apparent that the cast and crew have lived this experience themselves. I hope this powerful story gets viewed far and wide, so that our many inaccurate cultural ideas about eating disorders can continue to shift and expand. Without that, the harmful stereotype that eating disorders look a certain way and only affect certain kinds of people will continue to cost people their lives."
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
The feedback has surprised us in a good way because it confirms the necessity for this film and that audiences are understanding our intention. By way of awards and nominations through film festivals, the feedback we are receiving has been extremely positive for the story, its honesty and the beauty of the film itself. Our point of view remains the same, this is important content. Ultimately, having people see the film and then engage in conversations with us about it as both a great film as well as about eating disorders is the best feedback we could hope for.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
We are honored to be on We Are Moving Stories which in and of itself is the basic exposure we need to inspire more people to have this conversation about eating disorders. We hope that this interview can also create more interest in screening opportunities through festivals or other outlets. As we move into series development and educational distribution we are looking to engage industry leaders with influence to bring a series to fruition.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
We believe that the series currently in development would fit well on one of the streaming platforms so we are actively seeking the right people to meet within those companies or production companies well connected to bring the project forward.
We would also love to bring on board an educational distribution company to package and distribute the short film with an educational companion piece for groups like athletic departments, parent organizations, educator forums, and health class curriculums.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
We would like people to stop and think about how close they may be to an eating disorder or know someone that may be suffering or on the verge of developing one. This is an opportunity to make the deadliest of all mental illnesses a more comfortable topic for conversation. Yes, we said the deadliest..Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness, every 4th person dies from the long term effects of eating disorders. Our goal with The Weight of Perfection was to inspire a much-needed conversation about understanding the complex layers of addiction and to show what eating disorders feel like; torment, self-harm and self-hate - and not, as the myth is telling us, the vanity of wanting to be "skinny".
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Do you or someone you know have an ED, are in recovery or recovered from an ED?
Would you like to add anything else?
Absolutely! This was such an honor, so thank you We Are Moving Stories for this opportunity to share our story. We would like to add that The Weight of Perfection represents not only a community of ED survivors and supporters, but a team that is 90% female, ethnically, racially and age diverse in front of and behind the camera. We are living proof that life after overcoming a dark and destructive time in life can come full circle and create beauty, understanding and healing.
“We’re better together” Project HEAL
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Anabelle is currently directing a POV for a feature film called “Bridenapped” a bad-ass fast pace female-driven kidnap comedy and “Strange Fruit, a psychological thriller set in a desert motel where the effects of guilt and shame manifesting in a ghost joy haunting a pregnant widow who wants to start from scratch. She also has a dance drama feature film Ole King Cold that she directed with Del Weston that will hit the festival circuit soon.
Leanne is in post production on a short film she co-directed and starred in. The film centers around the horrific world of human trafficking with the goal to heighten awareness and inspire others to speak up. She is also in early production on a feature film 'What If' working to shoot late 2021. The story is of a woman who accidentally discovers she is the by-product of a hospital birth mix up. This sends her on the road to figure out what family is, and if it's blood or something more. Another project in early development is 'Cleopatra's Needle' - A thriller/ghost story inspired by the true events surrounding London's Cleopatra's Needle.
Jennifer is heading up affiliations with Project HEAL, ANAD and other potential ED organizations. She continues to work on the films PR and is overseeing development of the TV series inspired by The Weight of Perfection short along with Leanne and Anabelle. She is also currently working on her art as well as a collaboration with a fashion artist.
Interview: September 2021
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
The Weight of Perfection
Length:
15:55
Writer
LEANNE MELISSA BISHOP is a CPA and a former National Gymnast, who’s written, directed, and starred in numerous films. Recent credits include: Scouted, The Weight of Perfection, and Candice & Peter’s Smokin’ Hot Date. Leanne also has three feature films in various stages of production including the dramedy What If, the supernatural thriller Cleopatra’s Needle, and Ring of Fire. Recent Awards include BEST ACTRESS, Tell Me Something and BEST DIRECTOR The Weight of Perfection.
*Leanne also acted in and co-directed The Weight Of Perfection.
Director
ANABELLE D. MUNRO is a multi-award-winning producer and CEO of Blue Boots Entertainment film production company based in Los Angeles. Anabelle is also a creative producing partner and free-lance director at the Film Hub studios in Vista, CA. In addition to producing, directing, acting, and writing, Anabelle founded the The Most Important Films International Film Festival in Las Vegas which supports and honors purpose-driven filmmakers. Since 2017, Anabelle has also reigned as "The Queen of the A.O.F. Megafest," currently in its 18th season, and in 2021 she produced and MC’d the A.O.F. Megafest. *Anabelle also co-wrote and acted in The Weight Of Perfection.
Producer
JENNIFER OLEFF, CEO of Aglet Production, is an artist, preschool owner, and former art teacher. Combining years of business knowledge and her fine art background she began producing short films as a way to collaborate with other creatives to share impactful stories. Most recently winning awards for The Weight of Perfection, intended to start a much needed conversation about eating disorders.
*Jennifer was also involved in the creative process with The Weight of Perfection.
Key cast:
Hayden Hishaw (Ellen), Leanne Melissa Bishop (Amanda), Wyatt Oleff (Walker), Anabelle D. Munro (Kathy), Merit Leighton (Juniper), Kelly Perine (Frank)
Looking for:
distributors, producers, buyers
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/theweightofperfection
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/TheWeightofPer3
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/weightofperfection/
Hashtags used:
#eatingdisorderawareness #mentalillnessawareness #gymnastics #TWoP #shortfilm #womeninfilm #filmfestival
More info:
Where can I watch it?
Pasadena International Film Festival/Pasadena, CA - September 9, 2021
Burbank Film Festival/Burbank, CA - September 10, 2021
Royal Starr Film Festival/Royal Oak, MI - September 18, 2021
Golden Door International Film Festival/Jersey City, NJ - Sept 22-26
The Other Venice Film Festival/Venice, CA - October 2, 2021
FirstGlance Film Fest Philadelphia/Phoenixville, PA - October 15-17 2021