Television Review: Youth Knows No Pain
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What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that this documentary about America's
attitudes toward aging raises serious questions about issues
like body image and self-conficence. Some of the interviewees
have undergone a wide range of cosmetic procedures in order to
look younger indefinitely; there are some potentially
disturbing images of both graphic surgeries and war casualties.
Non-sexual nudity includes pre- and post-surgical images of
bare bottoms and breasts; there's also a bit of swearing and
some smoking.
YOUTH KNOWS NO PAIN follows creator/narrator Mitch McCabe, the daughter of a plastic surgeon, as she embarks on a two-year journey that explores pAmerica’s obsession with looking -- and staying -- young. McCabe travels around the country interviewing medical professionals, journalists, and experts in the anti-aging industry. She also spends time with people who've gone to extraordinary lengths to look younger than they actually are. Throughout it all, McCabe wrestles with her own insecurities and the impact that her father’s profession has had on her own feelings about taking measures to make herself look better.
Youth Knows No Pain reveals society's interesting and at times disturbing attitudes about aging. Sadly, most of the people featured in the film seem to equate getting older with being lonely, invisible, and/or ignored. That's why they're willing to spend thousands of dollars on anti-aging products and subject themselves to painful cosmetic procedures, from Botox injections and laser peels to liposuction, tucks, and other major surgeries.
The film sometimes comes across as a little disorganized as McCabe attempts to pull in her and her father's personal stories while simultaneously showcasing an eclectic range of people who seem to be waging their own personal crusade against looking old. Endless interviews with people who knew her father, home movies, and images of various surgical procedures also make the film a little too long. But it definitely addresses important themes and highlights some rather worrisome ideas about how society seems to be desperately putting off the inevitable.
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