The Guarantee

A dancer's hillarious story about his prominent nose and the effect it has on his career.
by
Year Released
2007
Film Length(s)
12 mins
Remote video URL

Introduction

Even serious documentaries can be funny. THE GUARANTEE is an illustrated documentarty using humor to examine cultural identity and body image.

(Not available for individual purchase. Purchase prices are for the 3-film set BODY TYPED.)

Synopsis

Part 2 of BODY TYPED

Pinocchio, Schnozola, Sir Nose, Charles grows up to be self-conscious of his prominent Italian nose. Still, he was shocked when one of the teachers at his ballet academy asks him to consider plastic surgery to forward his career. Of course, in ballet, as in life, there are no guarantees as to whether it'll land him a starring role. The Guarantee uses illustration and humor to start serious discussions about body image, cultural identity, and often-dangerous pursuits of physical perfection.

Awards and Screenings

Best Short Film - Newport International Film Festival
Mass MoCA Screening
Peabody Museum Screening

Director Commentary

What would you do if the star of your film refused to appear on camera? This was the problem I faced while making THE GUARANTEE.

It all started when I met a man in a crew van headed to New Jersey. We were both going to work in the art department on a fiction film, and during the ride, he told me an incredible story about how and why he decided to get a nose job. Five years later I called him up, out of the blue, and asked him if he would be willing to tell his story on camera. And, he said no.

But, he did say he was willing to tell me the story as long as I didn’t show his face. So, okay – this was a bit of a dilemma. His story was amazing, it had stuck with me for five years, and I didn’t’ want to give up.

I wondered if maybe coming up with a solution to this problem could actually serve the story. So I decided to experiment.

I had already made a short film about photo retouching – and since this was part 2 in the series -- I thought, “what if you could draw the image of what you wanted to look like, and become the drawing?”

Teaming up with the illustrator Robert Castillo – we decided to draw his story out and have it flow in present tense through his illustrations. And, so what started out as just an audio interview --- became THE GUARANTEE.

Features and Languages

Film Features

  • DVD Extras

Promotional Material

Promotional Stills

Opens in new window