‘Glutened’: A short film about celiac disease (that I love!)

a film about celiac disease

This is cool. Like really, really cool. Not only do we have a film that gives a realistic look at celiac (coeliac) disease, but it’s done in a creative, artistic way. The name of the film is Glutened and it is described by Hayley Repton (the creator) as “a rhythmic short film which expresses the impact everyday life has on a newly diagnosed coeliac, and how she discovers her own tempo.”

Before I delve any further, take an 8 minute break from your busy day and give it a watch. I strongly recommend you put Closed Captioning on or you’ll miss a lot of the subtleties.

I was gonna give this the old Gluten Dude Breakdown where I dissect the film and give my play-by-play commentary. But for this one, I think I’ll shut my mouth (you’re welcome) and let you provide the commentary.

So…what are your thoughts? Did you like? Can you relate?

(P.S. I think we can all relate to what happens at the 7:00 mark).

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22 thoughts on “‘Glutened’: A short film about celiac disease (that I love!)”

  1. Stephanie Hance

    I have been GF for six years and have learned to make great GF meals.
    The social aspect of dinning out or parties are the biggest struggle.
    Great short film – boy can I relate! Thanks for sharing.

  2. Very well done & thanks for sharing! The pizza with friends & the dinner out scenes PERFECTLY encapsulate & convey the feelings of loss, lust, fear, and anxiety that I still struggle with 8 years after diagnosis.

  3. And the is why I became a caterer. Sadly not enough restaurants take this seriously, I truly believe that because I was undiagnosed for so long that I now have a colon cancer diagnosis. The number of people who say ” one bite won’t do you any harm”, have no idea of the damage it does to us. This is a great film

  4. “Take the topping off”! My favourite. The amount of times people have offered me just the icing from their cake…
    Nice to be represented and not mocked in a film. Good job!
    I almost wish there was a sequel about the effects of being glutened, as it is so varied, and can be so embarrassing to discuss that I wish I could see other experiences than my own with the issue. Though that sound effect is probably universal!

  5. I felt oddly emotional when she got the call from her doctor. that sort of “tunnel talking” is exactly how I felt. I think we all remember that moment and feeling so overwhelmingly helpless and confused.
    And agreed about the “take the topping off” and the laxness about cross contamination. I’m glad her friends were supportive but she didn’t quite get at the eye rolls we sometimes get when we tell people we need a clean utensil since it’s touched something with gluten. But a good depiction for sure. 🙂

  6. As a parent of a now young adult who was diagnosed at 16, this rings true. It is hard and teenagers don’t want to miss out, it is a steep learning curve. Doctors and dieticians have been excellent but it is hard and restaurant staff are sometimes confused. One person I know whose family run a restaurant in Kingston, Surrey, told me it was a load of rubbish and she didn’t believe in it!! We won’t be going to her family restaurant, there are thankfully plenty of others. And there are some great GF chocolate cake recipes.

  7. Hi Scott,
    This moved me to tears!! Extremely Well Done All!!!!
    I have had this problem (not “condition) all my life. I am not just
    sensitive, I am HYPER sensitive. Only in the last 16 years did I Know what the Hell was
    going on inside me. Considering I am 70 now…………
    On retrospect, so did my Dad. And, I have passed it on to my kids. There are not enough
    cuss words in existence to express how I feel about this issue.
    PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!! Send this Video to EVERYONE!!!!
    I will be sending it shortly to my Daughter, the Attorney/Hollywood Producer.
    Hint, Hint Hint!!! She ignores her “condition”… Not the smartest thing.

  8. This made me think of the other day my husband took me to breakfast after I had a procedure done. He has celiac and I don’t have to eat gluten free. He told the waitress his order and she noted everything and he did something he rarely does – when asked if he wanted gluten free toast he said sure. She brought our meals and set his in front of him and said gluten free whatever (I can’t remember what he ordered). After she left I looked at the toast and I said that’s not gluten free. He said sure it is. She made sure to make the note. He’s had celiac for 6 years but I think we were just both tired and worn out from my procedure and he was more focused on me so he tried it. I told him no dont eat it. He got me home after we were done and he was sick the rest of the afternoon. They just aren’t careful. It breaks my heart. It’s what happens when we veer away from the tried and true.

  9. This! IS Powerful! Only celiacs and gluten intolerant and those that truly love us understand all these emotions, struggles, and pain while enduring this disease. It changes your life.

  10. This hit home so hard. I feel validated to see my exact experiences and feelings reflected back in this film. Having Celiac and living GF can be isolating in a way others simply cannot understand. I’m lucky I have very supportive family and friends and it does get easier with time but I’ve never been able to articulate how it feels. Thank you for making this and sharing it with the rest of us.

  11. This short film did a good job conveying a lot of the emotions that go with this diagnosis.
    Hearing of other people’s struggles with Celiac makes me feel so very blessed with my family and friends. Everyone takes it seriously. At dinner party they’ll tell me what not to eat and I can rest easy that everything else will be fine.
    I was diagnosed 8 years ago at 52. In hindsight, it came through my Mom to both my brother and I and he passed it on to two of his kids.
    There are things I miss, and any kind of travel (domestic or foreign) can be a nightmare, but if there’s any kid of doubt, I pass.
    Nothing tastes as good as healthy feels

    1. Wow, this really hits home to those struggling to find balance as a celiac or even NCGS- non-celiac gluten sensitive, we can all relate. I do want to offer some comfort; it really does get easier- please believe me. I’ve been on this road for the past 16 years from the days we had little in the stores and NO options in restaurants to now- and whatever is coming in the future. We have delicious pasta, decent bread, even pizza and more. I don’t know when things changed but I can well remember literally crying at my first Thanksgiving when all I could eat was a salad and some mashed potatoes –to now, when the entire meal is gf (with vegan side dishes) to accommodate the whole family. No one complains. I no longer watch with envy what everyone else eats- whatever. It just no longer bothers me, In fact, that huge bowl of spaghetti or loaded pizza is almost revolting. Yeah- there are things I miss.. and SO WHAT? I am far from starving and there will always be food I can eat -even if it’s a stale protein bar in my purse. Getting glutened, even accidentally, is upsetting so I NEVER cheat- and it has still happened maybe a half dozen times. Love that line: “nothing tastes as good as healthy feels”. (gonna use it.) “SO when in doubt- DON’T,” and stop feeling sorry for yourself. Embrace healthy and don’t make food the BIGGEST part of your life. It’s just food. Travelling is easier if you do the research ahead of time, plenty of information is available on line. Learn to ask the right questions, question the answers, talk to the owner/manager/chef at a time when they aren’t mobbed. Learn to stick to simple meals when eating out, Chinese and Thai are both possible with careful choices; or stay with broiled steak, chicken or fish and plain veggies. And insist the manager follow your meal while it is prepped, cooked and served- it’s their job- after all .

  12. This is a wonderful short film that stops short of exposing some of the more toxic events socially. Like when your family doesn’t agree to help you. It covers perfectly what those who are just innocently going about their lives can do to hurt a person with Celiac, even without meaning to.

    Yet there are also those who do intend to place their views about Celiac above your safety. The ones who buy contaminated mixes, and bake you something and demand you eat it and shame you if you don’t. The ones who say you’re ungrateful for their effort. The ones who believe your illness is not as important as what they think they know. And they want you to be the test subject to prove their viewpoint.

    Still it’s a powerful movie. That moment when you know you’ve been glutened. You need to leave but do you say why? Do you say “I’m just a little tired, see you tomorrow”? And then tomorrow do you dose up on antidiarrhea medicine and cold medicine and go to work? Do you take the day off? All that stuff went through my mind when I got to the 7 min mark.

  13. So many emotions flooded in watching this film.
    The creator beautifully captured the roller coaster I experience of uncertainty to having it figured out / ‘I got this’ to the plummeting oh shit moment of being glutened / your body not acting as expected and returning to the world of uncertainty.
    It is excellent! Thank you for posting it.

  14. Shea McIntosh Ford

    There is a one second blip of her “protecting” her food when a friend reaches across it. I mean, these little details. Everything is spot on. Excellent portrayal.

  15. I can relate to the restaurant scene. Most servers and cooks are young and uneducated as to what celiac is. I went to chick fil a last week and asked if their fries were gluten free. The worker there said “You can just brush the salt off”. Needless to say, I left. Another recent restaurant experience I ordered a chicken salad with no croutons. The server brings the salad out WITH croutons. I politely told her the salad needs to be completely remade with NO croutons. She brought the salad back a few minutes later. When I went to cut the chicken up there were 4 croutons hiding under the chicken. So the salad was not remade, she just picked off the croutons!

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Who I am. And who I'm not.

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I AM someone who's been gluten-free since 2007 due to a diagnosis of severe celiac disease. I'm someone who can steer you in the right direction when it comes to going gluten-free. And I'm someone who will always give you the naked truth about going gluten free.

I AM NOT someone who embraces this gluten-free craziness. I didn’t find freedom, a better life or any of that other crap when I got diagnosed. With all due respect to Hunter S. Thompson, I found fear and loathing of an unknown world. But if I can share my wisdom, tell my stories and make the transition easier on you, I’ve done my job.

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