With a family tree that includes anorexia and Holocaust survivors, documentary filmmaker Shawney Cohen is confronting the complicated legacy of disordered eating and attempting to make a change.My mom's eating disorder sent me on a radical health kick. Did I take it too far?
Back then my life was dominated by an over-the-top health regimen that demanded not only meticulously counting every calorie, but such extreme measures as cross-referencing three apps to monitor my stats, popping 25 supplements daily and marathon training barefoot in the snow., a 46-year-old ultra-rich mogul on a quest to rewind the age of his organs to that of an 18-year-old. Bryan's ultimate aim?Bryan Johnson is doing everything he can — and spending millions — to get younger.
When my mom passed away in 2021, she weighed 64 pounds. It felt fitting that her funeral coincided with Remembrance Day. After all, her mother, Faiga, was a Holocaust survivor — and she, too, had a complex relationship with food.Faiga carried with her a relentless anxiety when she left war-torn Lithuania. Even in her new life in Canada, she was haunted by memories of starvation in the Vilna ghetto and, later, Auschwitz. Bubbie was determined that no one in her family would ever know such hunger.
In 2023, Cohen was on a mission to get into the best shape of his life, inspired by the radical health routine of tech mogul Bryan Johnson. Sure, Bryan Johnson's commitment and sculpted physique are impressive, but his life is one of endless restriction. And what's the point of being the healthiest person alive, if you can't enjoy your finite time with the people who give it meaning?