For the Love of Nancy
Encyclopedia
For the Love of Nancy is a 1994
television film directed by Paul Schneider
. The film, based on a true story, deals with anorexia nervosa
. Lead actress Tracey Gold
was actually recovering from the disease while making the movie and used her own life experience for the portrayal of Nancy.
Nancy Walsh is a high school
graduate apprehensive about the future. After starting college, she becomes withdrawn and starts to obsess over her weight, exercising all the time and hardly eating. At college, she closes herself up in her room, afraid of socializing with other people.
Although most of her friends, neighbors and brother Tommy notice that she is losing a lot of weight, her mother ignores the changes in Nancy. Her brother Patrick is the first one to confront her about it and at a Christmas party
, everyone is shocked by how thin she looks. They confront her and she promises them that everything is going to be ok. Her mother Sally believes her, but her uncle convinces her that if they don't do something, Nancy could die.
Soon, Nancy admits to being anorexic
, revealing that she doesn't know how to stop the disease. She is reluctant to be taken to the hospital
, but Sally is excited for her to get help to ultimately recover. She enters a group session, but feels she doesn't belong there. Nevertheless, she refuses to eat and even goes as far as hiding food, to fake her progress.
She is soon caught, and the doctor decides to connect her to a feeding tube
. After a while, she makes progress, gaining six pounds. This upsets her, and because she is over eighteen, she is able to sign herself out of the hospital. Upon her return back home, she continues starving herself, much to the distress of her mother. When she finds plates with food under her bed, she confronts her and notices that Nancy is lying.
Nancy resists any attempt by them to help her and doesn't even respond when she is forced to eat. Her mother asks her in tears why she is doing it, but she doesn't explain. Tommy is afraid that she will soon die. Meanwhile, she becomes extremely sick from malnutrition
, and is eventually hospitalized because of a kidney disease. Her parents feel that they can't do anything but watch her die.
Desperate, Sally decides to go to court, possibly winning guardianship if she can prove that Nancy is incompetent and thereby incapable of making her own decisions. Nancy is outraged when she finds out and the media attention the case is getting upsets her. She finally gives in, allowing a treatment for recovery.
1994 in film
1994 was a significant year in film.The top grosser worldwide was The Lion King, which to date stands as the highest-grossing traditionally-animated film of all time...
television film directed by Paul Schneider
Paul Schneider (director)
Paul Schneider is an American film and television director. Some of his directorial credits include Baywatch, Beverly Hills, 90210, L.A. Law and JAG. He has also directed a number of television films.-External links:...
. The film, based on a true story, deals with anorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by refusal to maintain a healthy body weight and an obsessive fear of gaining weight. Although commonly called "anorexia", that term on its own denotes any symptomatic loss of appetite and is not strictly accurate...
. Lead actress Tracey Gold
Tracey Gold
Tracey Gold is an American actress and former child star best known for playing Carol Seaver on the 1980s sitcom Growing Pains. In early 2009, she co-hosted with Fred Roggin on the live show GSN Live.-Early life:...
was actually recovering from the disease while making the movie and used her own life experience for the portrayal of Nancy.
Plot
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
graduate apprehensive about the future. After starting college, she becomes withdrawn and starts to obsess over her weight, exercising all the time and hardly eating. At college, she closes herself up in her room, afraid of socializing with other people.
Although most of her friends, neighbors and brother Tommy notice that she is losing a lot of weight, her mother ignores the changes in Nancy. Her brother Patrick is the first one to confront her about it and at a Christmas party
Christmas Party
"Christmas Party", alternately titled "Santa Claus is Coming to Scranton", is the tenth episode of the second season of The Office —the show's sixteenth episode overall. It was written by Michael Schur and directed by Charles McDougall. It was first broadcast on December 6, 2005 on NBC.In this...
, everyone is shocked by how thin she looks. They confront her and she promises them that everything is going to be ok. Her mother Sally believes her, but her uncle convinces her that if they don't do something, Nancy could die.
Soon, Nancy admits to being anorexic
Anorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by refusal to maintain a healthy body weight and an obsessive fear of gaining weight. Although commonly called "anorexia", that term on its own denotes any symptomatic loss of appetite and is not strictly accurate...
, revealing that she doesn't know how to stop the disease. She is reluctant to be taken to the hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
, but Sally is excited for her to get help to ultimately recover. She enters a group session, but feels she doesn't belong there. Nevertheless, she refuses to eat and even goes as far as hiding food, to fake her progress.
She is soon caught, and the doctor decides to connect her to a feeding tube
Feeding tube
A feeding tube is a medical device used to provide nutrition to patients who cannot obtain nutrition by swallowing. The state of being fed by a feeding tube is called gavage, enteral feeding or tube feeding...
. After a while, she makes progress, gaining six pounds. This upsets her, and because she is over eighteen, she is able to sign herself out of the hospital. Upon her return back home, she continues starving herself, much to the distress of her mother. When she finds plates with food under her bed, she confronts her and notices that Nancy is lying.
Nancy resists any attempt by them to help her and doesn't even respond when she is forced to eat. Her mother asks her in tears why she is doing it, but she doesn't explain. Tommy is afraid that she will soon die. Meanwhile, she becomes extremely sick from malnutrition
Malnutrition
Malnutrition is the condition that results from taking an unbalanced diet in which certain nutrients are lacking, in excess , or in the wrong proportions....
, and is eventually hospitalized because of a kidney disease. Her parents feel that they can't do anything but watch her die.
Desperate, Sally decides to go to court, possibly winning guardianship if she can prove that Nancy is incompetent and thereby incapable of making her own decisions. Nancy is outraged when she finds out and the media attention the case is getting upsets her. She finally gives in, allowing a treatment for recovery.
Cast
- Tracey GoldTracey GoldTracey Gold is an American actress and former child star best known for playing Carol Seaver on the 1980s sitcom Growing Pains. In early 2009, she co-hosted with Fred Roggin on the live show GSN Live.-Early life:...
as Nancy Walsh - Jill ClayburghJill ClayburghJill Clayburgh was an American actress. She received Academy Award nominations for her roles in An Unmarried Woman and Starting Over.-Personal life:...
as Sally Walsh - Cameron BancroftCameron BancroftCameron Bancroft , sometimes credited as Cam Bancroft is an actor known for playing Joe Bradley on the TV Series Beverly Hills, 90210. He was on the show from 1995 to 1996....
as Patrick Walsh - Mark-Paul GosselaarMark-Paul GosselaarMark-Paul Harry Gosselaar is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Zack Morris in NBC's Saved by the Bell, Good Morning, Miss Bliss, and Saved by the Bell: The College Years, Detective John Clark in NYPD Blue, Jerry Kellerman in TNT's Raising the Bar, and more recently Peter...
as Tommy Walsh - Michael MacRae as Uncle Tommy