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Brooke Shields, ’80s icon and household name, was a child model before she came to prominence in Louis Malle’s controversial film Pretty Baby at age 12. With a series of provocative Calvin Klein jeans ads and leading roles in 1980s teensploitation hits The Blue Lagoon and Endless Love, Shields’ early career was defined by a sexuality that she could neither claim nor comprehend. In this two-part documentary, director Lana Wilson reveals Shields’ story through media appearances and archival footage, bringing full context to the time when Shields was coming of age in public. Wilson creates space for the adult Shields to share her intelligence, vulnerability, and humanity while reflecting on her career and life, including her complex relationship with her mother, Teri, her marriage to Andre Agassi, and her own struggles with motherhood. Honest and incisive, Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields critiques a toxic culture and power structure that perpetuates misogyny and is complicit in the sexualization and objectification of young girls. But, above all, it tells the moving story of Brooke Shields discovering and embracing her own identity and agency. (Sundance Film Festival)
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I admit that I have seen very little of Brooke Shields's filmography so far, and the iconic Blue Lagoon still eludes me, but this biopic grabbed me all the more. The documentary Pretty Baby not only tells a very comprehensive story about the life of Brooke Shields, but also delves into painful topics such as typecasting, the exploitation of underage stars by their parents and the sexualisation of children in film and modelling. The less than two hours of running time are packed with information without any dead spots.
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