Aahana Swrup
‘Surviving the Silence: The Roxane Gay Story’ tells a moving story about a young girl’s journey toward healing and self-growth in the face of a violent trauma. At the age of 12, Roxane Gay is led into a cabin in the woods by Christopher, whom she trusts and believes herself to be in love with. However, the latter actually lures her into a nightmarish trap. In the cabin, he and a group of his friends attack Roxane, sexually assaulting and violating her in horrifying ways. When the girl returns home afterward, she isolates herself, hiding the truth of the tragic events from her family.
For Roxane, the following years end up being defined by this incident and the brutalities that she experienced at such a young age. As a result, she develops a strained relationship with her own body image, employing frequent overeating as a way to take back some control in her life. Consequently, in her teenage years, a young Roxane undergoes cyclic weight fluctuations. This remains prominent in the physical appearance of actress Hilda Martin, who portrays the young version of the author.
Makeup and Prosthetics Were Used For Hilda Martin’s Physically Altered Look
In ‘Surviving the Silence: The Roxane Gay Story,’ the protagonist’s relationship with her body image remains a focal point of the narrative. The film is based on the real life of the titular author, who also serves as the scriptwriter on the project. For Gay, overeating and weight fluctuations became a notable part of what came with the aftermath of her horrific sexual assault, suffered at the age of 12. At the time, she felt she couldn’t share the truth of the incident with her parents. Therefore, instead of seeking help elsewhere, she tried to find ways to make up for the loss of control and bodily autonomy on her own. It was then that the author’s complex relationship with overeating, body image, and weight fluctuations began.
In her 2017 autobiography, ‘Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body,’ Gay writes about her experience, sharing, “My memories of the after are scattered, but I remember eating and eating and eating so I could forget, so my body could become so big it would never be broken again.” Although her parents didn’t learn about the traumatic assault and its impact on their daughter until years later, they noticed her drastic weight loss. As such, they advised her to go on a liquid diet when she was a teenager, which resulted in momentary weight loss. However, before long, Gay’s reliance on overeating as a defense mechanism returned the lost weight to her body. In the film, these events are chronicled accurately, showcasing a young Roxane undergoing weight changes throughout her teenage years.
However, it wouldn’t be possible for actress Hilda Martin to keep up with these alterations in her character’s physical appearance over the course of the story. Therefore, in order to retain continuity and do justice to Gay’s experiences, the production employs the help of masterful makeup and prosthetics to alter Hilda Martin’s appearance in accordance with the narrative. FX artist Dallas Harvey is behind the silicone prosthetic makeup that was designed and sculpted for this feat. The process of creating the prosthetics included lifecasting Martin, then sculpting the prosthetics to ensure realism and authenticity. Ultimately, Harvey’s skillful craft pays off, creating a seamless, realistic look for Martin’s on-screen physical transformation.
Read More: Roxane Gay: Where is the Writer Now?
You must be logged in to post a comment.