Disordered. (Short film)

My name is Alice Wallis and I am the writer of ‘Disordered.’. I’m a 25-year-old, diabetic, actress based in Berkshire. After studying medicine for 3 years, I graduated from Drama Studio London in 2020.

I want to create my own work which not only showcases myself but highlights a journey that I myself feel very strongly about. The film, which is based on true events, means a great deal to me and is something that I wish to share with others in the hope that they’ll find comfort and affirmation in my experience and in the knowledge that they’re not alone. While there is a growing amount of awareness and materials that focus on mental health and eating disorders, during my own experience, I found that there was little support or openness for friends/family members of the affected. Understandably, there are some media TV/films that tackle this subject, from the perspective of the person suffering from the eating disorder. However, I’ve often found that these provide a ‘glamourized’ version of events. Or more often than not, have a guaranteed happy ending…

 I personally feel like it’s important to show the good and the bad sides of a family going through something like having a child with an eating disorder. The highs and the incredible lows which can be caused and felt by anyone in the family.

As someone who was indirectly affected by an eating disorder, I found there was a huge pressure to be ‘perfect’, to never say anything wrong or feel anything that could be detrimental because I knew the results could be catastrophic.

Through this storytelling I want others like me to see and understand that it’s ok to mess up, it’s ok to feel angry, upset, alone and lost, even while doing your best to try and help a person in your life recover from an eating disorder or other mental illness.

Between 1.25 and 3.4 million people in the UK are directly affected by an eating disorder within their lifetime, most commonly between the ages of 16 and 40.

I believe that almost everyone knows, or has known of someone close to them who has suffered with an eating disorder. The ‘average’ eating disorder can last between 5 and 8 years and with eating disorders having the highest mortality rates among psychiatric disorders, I believe there’s a huge gap in support and community for those indirectly affected by such disorders.

On top of that, research suggests that individuals who have family members with eating disorders are more likely to develop one themselves when compared to individuals who have no family history of these illnesses.

A short film, like this one, would therefore have a huge impact and reach within this community of people who can be massively impacted, indirectly by an eating disorder.

It would be my hope that we could submit the completed short to both UK and international film festivals prior to distribution.