fLESH oUT Film Difficulty Ranking: 3
Verida is getting married, and in Mauritania, that means she has to fatten up before the wedding to make sure she’s as beautiful as possible. You’ll get eat all the bowls of cous cous and meat with her on her journey to becoming a big beautiful woman. Flesh Out is a well made portrait of a woman caught in a culture that clashes with modernisation.
From: Mauritania, Africa
Watch: TBC - IMDb Page
Next: Mustang, Sand Storm, Supersize Me
Why Watch Flesh Out?
- Learn about ‘Gavage’ – the process of fattening up before your wedding day in Mauritania. SPOILER – it’s not as fun as it sounds.
- Understand that being thin is not universally beautiful across the world.
- View a small snapshot of life in Mauritania.
- Jump in the shoes of a woman who is forced to marry.
The Breakdown
One man takes a liking to Verida, the protagonist of Flesh Out. He’s wealthy and respected in the village, so he’s a great match for Verida in her mother’s eyes. Unfortunately for her, she doesn’t have any say in the matter. Her fiancé isn’t the right man for her as she’s in love with someone else. To make matters worse, her mum forces her to start ‘gavage’ – a vigorous fattening up diet to make her look beautiful on her wedding day. Flesh Out shows us that fattening up is just as horrible as slimming down and highlights the clash between tradition and modernity in Mauritania.
Even though gavage is relatively common in Mauritania, the director (Michelle Occhipinti) chooses to take a stance. She quite clearly tries to expose both the contradictions of gavage and how horrible it is.
Firstly, she places a lot of Barbie dolls in shots of Verida and her younger sister. They represent the western ‘modern’ ideal of a beautifully thin woman which contrasts with the image of a beautifully fat Mauritanian bride. Having grown up with Barbie dolls and western TV, it’s not surprising that Verida isn’t enthusiastic about fattening up for a fiancé she doesn’t like. The director highlights the clash between western and traditional ideals to question why we place so much importance on physical beauty.
Secondly, she deliberately shocks us with the pure amount of food Verida eats as part of her weight-gaining routine. It’s pretty disgusting. We see an endless amount of full bowls of milk and cous-cous with meat which Verida is forced to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, as well as throughout the night. Plus we feel her struggle. Every time she finishes her bowls of food, the camera shoots her face from close up to show her mouth trying to keep everything in her stomach. Just seeing all the food and her reaction makes us feel sick and sympathise with her struggle against tradition.
What to Watch Next
If you’re looking for more films about women trying to escape from arranged marriages, check out Mustang and it’s group of sisters fighting to keep their freedom and innocence. You could also watch Sand Storm, which features a 42 year old woman having to deal with her husband marrying a new, younger wife.
For more films about gaining weight, check out Super Size Me, to find out what 3 fast food meals a day does to your body.
Or, if you’d like to watch a more positive film about young women in patriarchal societies, check out The Eagle Huntress and Wadjda. The Eagle Huntress features a young nomadic girl trying to break into the male dominated eagle hunting tradition. Wadjda is even better and more heart-warming, featuring a young girl in Saudi Arabia battling the patriarchy so she can ride a bike.
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