This documentary recounts the life of 49 year old Paul Mason, officially Britain's fattest man at an estimated weight of between 60 and 70 stone - his efforts to loose weight, the complications involved in such morbid obesity, and the dramatic tole his overeating has taken on both his own life and the lives of those who care for him.
In the opening sequence, a narrator begins relaying facts relating to the startlingly high obesity statistics of the British public, alongside which images of overweight people going about daily life are shown. This fairly day-to-day footage is then interjected with the shocking image of the man in question - Paul Mason, splayed upon a bed. This highly disturbing image is a shocking contrast, stark against the fairly matter-of-fact presentation of the narration and previous clips. Continuing along a fast pace, this image almost immediately cuts to an interview with the man himself after a remark from the narration regarding his ill health, which is then justified by his manner - not that of a healthy adult. He comments that his addiction to food is something that he's entirely powerless to overcome - alone. This is most likely shown in order to give a more personalized view of the dangers of obesity, a connotation enforced later along in the documentary during interviews with family and friends. We then cut to a short clip of him eating. This image, coupled with the interview, suggests nothing other than the blatant issue raised by the documentary itself - that obesity only makes him miserable, and to let him be a warning to the audience.
No comments:
Post a Comment