Looks That Kill
Directed by John Furse2000 50mDocumentary
First ever documentary about the little known and surprisingly pervasive psychological condition Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) or Perceived Ugliness/Elephant Man Syndrome. The director/writer, a former sufferer, was given unique access to 21 year-old BDD sufferer Gail Bettinson's story. The programme follows Gail's daily life in great intimacy as she and those closest to her struggle to cope with her obsessive feelings of grotesque ugliness. It exposes the acute isolation, the self-mutilation and the suicidalism that these feelings cause BDD sufferers like Gail in a a culture that worships beauty, glamour and celebrity. We follow her treatment with world-leading BDD specialist Dr. David Veale and see her growing self-confidence in public, not least as she handles having herself portrayed on camera despite her feelings of self-revulsion.
