Written and directed by Jeanie Finlay, the rise of Aubrey Gordon, from anonymous blogger to best-selling author. Her aim? A paradigm shift in the way that we view fatness. A film about fat, family, the complexities of change and the deep, messy feelings we hold about our bodies.
While there are many wonderful things about Your Fat Friend, the one which immediately stands out is the tone that Jeanie Finlay instils to match the energy of Aubrey Gordon. It’s perfect because it’s relatable and friendly but also captures the anger, hurt and frustration which helps to fuel Gordon’s writing. Which then does what all good documentaries do, it opens up your perspective, it asks, and allows, you to see things through Gordon’s eyes.
The story is a mix between the issues that she cares deeply about and a personal exploration of her life and how she went public talking about body issues, disorders and societal prejudice. One of the basic principles that she easily imparts early on is universal, in a world of online anonymity and lack of consequences, or simple self-involvement, people don’t consider the impact of their words. There’s a great deal of relevant points throughout Your Fat Friend, particularly the influence of social media on the conversation surrounding weight loss and health, and how it has shifted towards an extremely unhealthy atmosphere.
Finlay’s style exploring all of these points is an intimate one, especially in the latter half of the film, it encapsulates all of these key issues but the focus remains on Gordon. There’s a lot of emotion and it takes the time to portray how her family life impacted her own body image growing up. The first half can feel stronger, hitting a bigger, fiercer note versus the slower, exceptionally personal second half, which means it doesn’t end on as resounding of a punch as hoped.
Your Fat Friend does justice to its brilliant, smart and honest subject, Aubrey Gordon. You can feel how well Jeanie Finlay not only captures the importance of these issues but the meaningful nature of Gordon’s writing and what it has meant to many. It gets to grips with the topics but remains a personal exploration of Gordon’s life, and how she has dealt with the world constantly being ill-equipped or ignorant to the needs of anyone outside of what is deemed socially acceptable body standards. There’s plenty to learn if you’re not familiar with these topics, and Gordon’s experience and wise words will help open your eyes to them.
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