Blind Eye screens in the Crossing the Edge short film selection at OFN LGBTQIA+ Film Festival on Sunday, 17th November. BOOK TICKETS
Back in 2017, Attitude Magazine surveyed more than 5,000 of its readers. That survey aimed to explore how gay and bisexual men felt about their bodies, and the results highlighted just how engrained body image concerns were in the community. More than half of those responding were unhappy with their body, and 84% reported feeling intense pressure to change their looks. Body image has long been an issue within gay and bisexual men, and in recent years, this issue has only increased due to the arrival of hookup apps like Grindr, where you will often find profiles stating “No Fat People” “Must be toned” and “Don’t bother messaging if you are over 30.” These men often don’t show their faces in a picture, just a snapshot of the chiselled body they are so proud of, a body that probably sees them spend every waking moment in their local gym.
Over the years, I have spoken to many gay men who have attended dates only to be told in the opening conversation, “Sorry, you’re too fat for me”, or “You would be perfect if it weren’t for your pecs.” These words and behaviours cut deep and encourage gay and bisexual men to strive for perfection that is often not attainable and, in many cases, puts them at risk.
Lyndon Henley Hanrahan’s powerful seven-minute short Blind Eye is about this dangerous search for bodily perfection and the extremes one man is willing to go to to win back an ex who didn’t deserve him in the first place. Isaac is obsessed with achieving the perfect body after his ex split up with him due to his shape and looks. Isaac is determined to win his ex back and will go to every extreme, pushing his body beyond its abilities while denying himself food to stay thin. All Isaac wants is for his ex-boyfriend to see the new trim and perfect body he has sculpted. The problem is that Isaac is struggling to see his own body as his eyesight quickly begins to fail due to the extreme actions he has taken.
Hanrahan’s film may only run for a mere seven minutes, but in that time, he powerfully explores themes of body dysmorphic disorder, mental health, eating disorders and the root cause of Isaac’s extreme actions, the loss of a partner unwilling to see him for who he was. Hanrahan’s body horror beautifully uses its 16mm ratio, claustrophobic cinematography and impressive sound design to full advantage in reflecting the toxicity of Isaac’s punishing rituals and the impenetrable wall of denial he has built around them. Even when a doctor warns him that “he will suffer permanent vision loss” if he continues, he coolly and calmly answers, “I’m good, see.” But Isaac is far from “good” as he embarks on a self-destructive search for approval and perfection. As he meets with his ex again for drinks, wearing sunglasses that hide his bleeding eyes, his only hope is that his ex sees his new body, even if he can’t see his ex.
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