The film screening was sponsored by Active Minds, The Real Beauty Initiative and Eating Disorder Peer Advisers.
"I first learned about [Epstein's] films this summer at an internship with the New York City chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness," Active Minds president Katie Edkins '12 said. "The first time I saw her films, it struck me that they approach issues that have been talked about over and over in a new way, so I thought that Dartmouth students would be really drawn to them."
The first documentary, "Wet Dreams and False Images," which won the Jury Award for Short Filmmaking at the Sundance Online Film Festival in 2004, examines the ways that photo retouching distorts notions of beauty. The short film tells the story of Dee-Dee, a Brooklyn-based barber who covers his walls with magazine cutouts of women and wonders why real women don't look more like the pictures on his "wall of beauty." The film then explores the techniques used by major retouching companies, ultimately examining how retouched images of female models warp male perceptions of the "perfect woman" and affect female self-esteem.
"The two photo retouching artists I found were pretty into redeeming themselves," Epstein said. "I think they felt a little guilty about the work they do and how it affects people, and they wanted to be a part of exposing it."
The second film in the series, "The Guarantee," follows an Italian dancer named Charles who is self-conscious about his prominent nose. Charles is shocked nevertheless when his mentor at one of America's leading ballet academies suggests that he consider plastic surgery to forward his career. The film pairs audio of Charles' retelling of his story with fast-motion video of an illustrator sketching images that depict the story.
The film is intended to provoke discussions about "the standard, fixed ideal of physical perfection that it seems like everyone in America is trying to achieve," Epstein said.
"The Guarantee" was critically successful as well, winning the Best Short Film award at the Newport International Film Festival in Newport, R.I.
"Although it's exciting to be recognized, I see the awards as something I can use to get more people to see these films and start discussions about the issues," Epstein said. "This is definitely a passion project for me, a project about the issues."
"34x25x36," the third film screened on Tuesday, takes viewers inside the Patina V Mannequin Factory near Los Angeles. The film examines the craft and marketing that go into creating the "ideal woman of the moment" in plastic. "34x25x36" was broadcast nationally on PBS and was shown several times at Berlin Fashion Week.
"At first, I was surprised when I found out they showed the films at Fashion Week," Epstein said. "I think it's because these films aren't about pointing fingers. As a culture, we make images of perfect people and then try to live up to them, even though we know that's impossible. Because these films are so short, they are meant to tell a story, ask some questions, and then open up some discussion. That's my main goal."
