[Tribeca 2021 Review] Shapeless's All Too Real Aspects of Eating Disorders is the Real Horror

Exaggerating real life fears is a time honored horror tradition. Director Samantha Aldana’s Shapeless uses body dysmorphia and eating disorders to turn her lead character Ivy (Kelly Murtagh, who co-wrote with Bryce Parsons-Twesten) into a literal monster. Ivy’s body mutates in surreal, grotesque ways (the visual effects are excellent), and the only way to quell it is to binge eat. But the mutations are almost an afterthought—a clever commentary on body dysmorphia, to be sure; but the all-too-real aspects of Ivy’s eating disorder are what creeps us out here.

This film is probably triggering for anyone who’s suffered from eating disorders, so fair warning. Ivy consumes giant bowls of cereal, compulsively feeds change into a vending machine, and struggles to hide her bingeing and purging from coworkers and loved ones. We also share her perspective every time someone around her eats; she’s clearly unnerved by her friends’ ability to consume food “normally.” The filmmakers and Murtagh, whose performance is pretty remarkable, convey this in ways that feel utterly authentic.

In truth, the realistic aspects of Ivy’s struggle are more frightening than any “horror” elements.

Aldana has a keen visual sense, giving the movie a lush look and using colors vividly. There’s a recurring mirror motif, which is especially impressive considering the difficulty inherent in capturing reflections while hiding cameras and lights.

Where Shapeless stumbles is in pacing and storyline. It’s more of a mood piece and character study than a conventional narrative, which fell a little flat for me. I wanted to be more engaged than I was, and ultimately felt like the story didn’t go anywhere; the film doesn’t end so much as it just stops.

But Aldana and Murtagh do some terrific work, and both hold promise.