DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT

Body dysmorphia affects at least 2% of the population in the UK. It is a universal, genderless and ageless issue. It goes beyond body confidence or not feeling good about yourself.

How do I know this?
I spent months interviewing men and women, from 18 to 60 years old, suffering from an eating disorder and/or body dysmorphia. Most of them wished they knew earlier what the latter was. All of them felt the representation on screen of these disorders was glamorised or just wrong.
Through "Ephemeral", my aim is to bring awareness to the audience, by showing how deep one’s consciousness can go, but also on what society inflicts on women and men: what we should look like, what is healthy or unhealthy, what is ugly or beautiful, all through unrealistic goals and constant body shaming.

I want to portray body dysmorphia and hyperphagia bulimia, as it is the less commonly shown eating disorder on screen. I want the audience to visualize what happens both mentally and physically to those suffering from this condition. I should know, as I personally suffer from both.

I want to remind people that no one else can fix your issues but yourself. You need to be happy on your own before being able to be happy with anybody else. You come first. The self-work has to come from you, and you alone. Sometimes, it is hard. Very hard. But you can make it. Ephemeral is a message of hope and perseverance.
I want the audience to watch the film and think “yes, that’s it, that is exactly how I feel when that situation happens”. This is how “The Creature” was created. They aren’t scary, but almost childish. They are the personification of Mia’s mental health, and they do not even really understand what they are doing here. That’s the sentiment with body dysmorphia.

Why would we hate our body which keeps us alive?