Just on the verge of passing adolescence, a daughter sees her mother. To a young woman trying to come into her own, the image of an overweight mother who has swapped her dreams for leftover food instills horror. Gina Kim, the director and performer of this video diary piece, confesses that her own life may also be no exception to this rule. Gina leaves home when she turns 22 because of the fear of becoming like her mom. In a strange land, she suffers from anorexia, something ...
more
Just on the verge of passing adolescence, a daughter sees her mother. To a young woman trying to come into her own, the image of an overweight mother who has swapped her dreams for leftover food instills horror. Gina Kim, the director and performer of this video diary piece, confesses that her own life may also be no exception to this rule. Gina leaves home when she turns 22 because of the fear of becoming like her mom. In a strange land, she suffers from anorexia, something that is unfamiliar even to her. For 6 years, she obsessively documents her everyday life with a video camera. This narcissistic communication simulates an equation between the subject and the object of the camera gaze, and the video becomes an instrument that reconciles the "other-"ed gaze and one's own body. Gina finally becomes an adult by both accepting who she is and embracing her mother's miserable life. Through serene yet shocking images, the piece provides the unusual experience of looking at a woman's body in starkly different fashion from that of other conventional media.
less