Some research has suggested that as many as 85% of women are unhappy with the appearance of their bodies. We live in a society that defines our worth by our body image, which of course is linked to our weight. In some cases, this social value can cause women to develop extreme issues of self-perception such as body dysmorphia and possibly eating disorders as well.
Director Ana Lydia Monaco has given the title character of this short film, Lola (2020) a deeply moving journey of self-acceptance and self-love that should be shown to teenage and college age women everywhere.
Femme Filmmakers Festival 2021 – Day Three
The film opens with Lola (Marlene Luna de Castaneda) looking at herself in the mirror, obviously not pleased with what she sees. Monaco uses very tight shots of her cast to reference how Lola’s world is limited to only a few people because she has closed herself off to the world in her self-consciousness. The dialog is simple but the silence of what isn’t said between Lola and her friend Rosalinda (Sonia Diaz) and then between Lola and her doctor when she isn’t feeling well is especially powerful.
There is contact information at the end of the film for any women who has experienced Medical Bias and this is the true message of Lola. No one deserves to have their health disregarded or their concerns downgraded by the medical profession simply because of how their body looks.
Lola is dismissed by everyone around her who should have been supporting her simply because she does not fit the body type that society says is “appropriate” for a woman. The cruelest moment for Lola is when her boyfriend Jason (Sean Dube) makes his true feelings for her clear and then she realizes Rosalinda is the kind of friend that only keeps her around to make herself feel better about her own looks. With friends like these, it is no wonder that Lola’s health concerns go unheeded. The truth is, she has to learn to stand on her own and Monaco is making a statement for all women to recognize their own self-worth.
Femme Filmmakers Festival 2021 – Day Two
A word about the song at the end of this film. It is titled, “Grow” and it is written and sung by Liz Fohl. For such a small project, it would have been easy to just chose a simple instrumental arrangement to play over the credits. Monaco instead opted for this stunningly lovely piece to end Lola and it is perfection. Bravo to her for giving the women who see Lola an opportunity to start a dialog about how best to care for themselves and how the medical community needs to be more attentive. It is a conversation that is way overdue.
