Coming to VOD today, Tuesday, March 10: BITE SIZE
Corbin Billings’ look at childhood obesity debuted at Cinequest last year, winning a jury award. It will also screen at the upcoming TIFF Kids fest. BOND/360 now releases the doc on VOD exclusively via Vimeo.
Billings’ film offers a survey of the causes and consequences of unhealthy eating by sharing the stories of four American youth of diverse backgrounds, ages 11-13: Davion, who tries to use his size to join the football team even as he struggles with diabetes and to be in shape; Emily, who faces setbacks after a successful (though costly) experience at weight loss camp; Moy, whose sedentary videogaming concerns his parents; and KeAnna, who is encouraged to stay active through her love of dance. Highlighting the important role family eating habits play in shaping children’s own choices, some of the subjects’ family members or adult role models are also profiled, most notably Moy’s – his mother takes responsibility for changing the kinds of foods she prepares, while his father owns up to his own shortcomings after a health scare. While the film could have shed one of the characters and fleshed out the others a bit more – KeAnna in particular seems more peripheral here than the school counselor who organizes her dance team – it does succeed in presenting several straightforward case studies that demonstrate the realities of childhood obesity, and steps that can be taken to combat it.
what (not) to doc 