Meema Spadola - Breasts (1996)
How do women, of all ages and from all backgrounds, feel about their breasts, and how they've played a crucial role in their experiences of puberty, motherhood, sex, health, and aging?
The acclaimed documentary film 'Breasts' consists of interviews with twenty-two women - aged 6 to 84-years-old - interwoven with segments of breast-related archival footage, including a racy 1920's animated cartoon, a 1950's beauty pageant, and a 1970's bra commercial.
Spadola found her subjects by distributing “breast questionnaires” throughout New York City in doctors' offices, youth centers, schools, strip clubs and elsewhere. Over two hundred women (and one man) responded. The interviews were filmed by an all-women crew.
The participants, most of whom appear topless, represent a wide range of age, size, race and background. They include an 11-year-old on the verge of puberty; a breast-feeding mother; a 24-year-old with a breast reduction; a stripper with implants; two women with mastectomies; the self-proclaimed leader of the “Strong Breast Revolution;” a transsexual; a 49-year-old who is concerned about the safety of her silicone implants; a 420-pound comedienne; and two mother-daughter pairs. Their candid thoughts are humorous, moving, and often surprising.
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