Bravo to cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, who has directed and lit a stunning, disturbing 8-minute film about self-images and eating disorders, entitled Likeness. The film stars Elle Fanning, and was made in concert with Rodrigo’s daughter, Ximena, who suffered an eating disorder in her teens.

The film travels through a party, presenting a series of surreal tableaux with sickly models and decadent poseurs who evoke fashion images that Ximena Prieto took from magazines, and culminates in a scary solitary encounter with a mirror before returning to reality.

Speaking to Nick Haramis from the New York Times, Rodrigo shared the personal impact of this unsettling film:

“This was an important healing device for us, and hopefully a way to help other kids say,
‘I feel like that. I understand that…
It’s about being in a society where we feel judged, and are judging ourselves.”

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Nick Haramis article about Likeness in the New York Times

Link to Likeness on YouTube

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