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2023 Sarasota Film Festival

Karen Carpenter: Starving for Perfection

20221 hr 37 minUnited StatesEnglish

About this film

She was the first in a long line of celebrities to suffer from an eating disorder during an era when the vastly misunderstood phenomenon brought shame and public humiliation. For the first time, we hear Karen Carpenter's personal struggle in her own voice through never-before released recordings and through the legendary voices of those who knew her and were inspired by her music. As the #1 American musical act of the 1970s, the Carpenters were on top of the world, producing a string of pop masterpieces, including "Close to You," "We've Only Just Begun," and "Rainy Days and Mondays." But behind closed doors, Karen's quest for perfection resulted in low self esteem, a disheartening love life, and a public battle with anorexia nervosa, which ended with her untimely death at the age of only 32. Forty years after her death comes KAREN CARPENTER: STARVING FOR PERFECTION, a captivating, revealing, and unvarnished documentary providing astounding new insight into the singer's tragically short life and enduring musical legacy.

Credits

Director
Randy Martin
Filmmaker
Randy Martin
Producer
Brad Osborn, Randy Schmidt
Executive Producer
Andy Streitfeld
Screenwriter
Randy Martin
Cast
Carol Burnett, Belinda Carlisle, Kristin Chenoweth, Cynthia Gibb, Bob James, Olivia Newton-John, Cubby O'Briend, Suzanne Somers, Carnie Wilson
Documentary FeatureMusic

Trailer

Karen Carpenter: Starving for Perfection
Karen Carpenter: Starving for Perfection — production still