Lana Wilson’s two-part documentary on the life and career of model and actressBrooke Shieldsreportedly “brought the house down” atSundancethis Friday, according to a report byVariety, resulting in raucous applause at powerful moments and a standing ovation.
More specifically, the documentary focused on the early sexualizations of the famous model and actress in her childhood roles, which remain a controversial flashpoint for larger issues surrounding women, girls, and sexual exploitation.Pretty Baby: Brooke Shieldsfollows Shields through her increasing sexualization in early television commercial work, as well as her blowout role as a 12-year-old inPretty Baby, which the documentaries title is based on. The blatant sexualization in the film by Director Louis Malle drew immense talk show controversy. “From that moment on,” said Brooke of her role as a child prostitute in the movie, “I was no longer just a model who was an actress. I became a focal point for so many things, good and bad.”
This was to continue, according to the documentary, with attempts by Director David Hamilton to cultivate stories of Shield’s real coming-of-age sexuality in the press alongside the release of her highly sexualized role inThe Blue Lagoon. “They wanted to make it a reality show,” explains Shields in the documentary. “They wanted to sell my actual sexual awakening.” The 1980 film, featuring two young castaway teenagers who fall in love, was so controversial in its nudity, voyeurism, and questionable production practices that it reportedly would never be made today.
Related:Brooke Shields Reveals the Questionable Things She Was Forced to Do for The Blue Lagoon
Touchpoints With Various Women’s Issues
Others tend to agree, as talking heads and expert commentary in the documentary reflect on the phenomenon of Shields’s career and the impact of her poster child status on changing trends within the world of media. Appearances range from Drew Barrymore’s discussion of the pressures of childhood acting and darker implications to feminist cultural historical commentary on the distinct advent of girls’ sexualization in the 70s.
Piecing digitized footage, some from Shields and her mother’s personal archives, the film also explored the personal impact of this career, fostered under the tutelage of Shield’s alcoholic stage manager mother since age 9. The documentary explores various touchpoints in Shield’s life that continue to intersect with women’s issues, from her controlling relationship with her husband, Andre Agassi, to her decision to leave a top career in modeling to pursue a college degree at Princeton. Another controversy that enjoyed particular applause at the Sundance screening was Shields' response to Tom Cruise’s criticism of her book on postpartum depression. Focusing on Shields’s op-ed in response to Cruise’s criticisms of antidepressants, The Eccles Theater audience reportedly erupted as Shields’ New York Times headline “What Tom Cruise Doesn’t Know About Estrogen” flashed across the screen.
“I’ve always made it an important part of my journey to be as honest as I could. Not just to the outside, but to myself,” Shields said during the screening Q&A.
The Sundance Documentary Screenings will continue on a hybrid in-person and streaming model until Jan. 29, which you can findhere.
