Western Eyes (2000) by Ann Shin, 39min 30s
This documentary presents two Canadian women of Asian descent who are contemplating eyelid surgery. Maria and Sharon, of Philippino and Korean heritage respectively, believe their looks–specifically their eyes–get in the way of how people see them. Layering their stories with pop culture references to beauty icons and supermodels, filmmaker Ann Shin looks at the pain that lies deep behind the desire for plastic surgery.
The National Film Board of Canada recently made available a large number of films for free streaming off their website. Check out this and many other great films at http://nfb.ca/explore-by/title.
Check out family favourites like The Cat Came Back, films on historical injustices like Minoru: Memory of Exile and Unwanted Soldiers, or heartwarming tales of triumph over adversity like Sleeping Tigers: The Asahi Baseball Story.
If you have any other great films to suggest, leave them in the comments!
