This week I'm joined by Ruby Phelan and Margherita Barbieri to talk about The Last Pancake. Ruby is a multi-award-winning filmmaker who wrote and directed the film, and Margherita stars as the lead, Amanda. Both bring their own lived experience of an eating disorder to a film that's already sparking exactly the kind of conversation they set out to start.

A love story between a woman and her appetite

At its heart, The Last Pancake is a magical realist drama about a young woman named Amanda who visits a cafe, orders a stack of pancakes, and finds her suppressed appetite reawakening in the most unexpected way. Without giving too much away, the film brings her face to face with her nine-year-old self, and what unfolds between them is unlike anything else I've seen depict eating disorder recovery on screen.

Showing the fight, not just the suffering

One of the things Ruby was really clear about is that so many depictions of eating disorders focus on the midst of suffering, without ever showing what it actually looks like to fight back. That distinction matters more than you might think, and it's a huge part of why this film feels so different to watch.

Reconnecting with the child you used to be

There's something in this film about inner child work that genuinely stopped me in my tracks. Eating disorders have a way of severing you from the parts of yourself that once knew joy without complication, and the relationship between Amanda and her younger self in this film captures that disconnection, and the possibility of reconnection, better than I've seen almost anywhere else.

The details that made me feel truly seen

Without spoiling specifics, there are moments in this film built from tiny, sensory details, the kind of things that only someone who's actually lived through an eating disorder would think to include. We talk about how those small choices came together, and what it meant to watch something so intimately understand an experience that so often feels invisible to everyone else.

The part of recovery nobody warns you about

Ruby and Margherita were honest about something that doesn't get talked about nearly enough: recovery can mean losing people. Not because you're doing anything wrong, but because not everyone has the patience, or the tools, to stay for the harder parts of that journey. It's a difficult truth, but an important one.

Redirecting the fight

Something that came up again and again in this conversation is the sheer determination so many people with eating disorders carry, and what becomes possible when that same drive gets pointed somewhere life-affirming instead. It's a hopeful thread running through the whole film, and through Ruby and Margherita's own stories.

Why storytelling starts conversations words can't

We finished on something I think about a lot: how hard it can be to say "I think I might have an eating disorder" out loud, and how a film, a story, a shared piece of art can sometimes open a door that words alone can't. If you've ever struggled to explain what you're going through to someone who loves you, I think this part of the conversation will resonate.

Watch and listen

The Last Pancake is heading to festivals and screenings soon, and this conversation with Ruby and Margherita is one I'd genuinely encourage you to sit with in full. It's honest, hopeful, and a reminder that some of the most powerful recovery tools aren't found in a clinic at all.



Watch the episode on Youtube or listen on Spotify.

⚠️ Content note: this episode discusses eating disorders, disordered eating, and recovery. Please take care while listening.

Connect with us:

• Subscribe to the Full of Beans Podcast
• Follow Full of Beans on Instagram
• Connect with the team:
• The Last Pancake on Instagram (@thelastpancakefilm)
• Writer & Director - Ruby Phelan - @ruby_phelan
• Amanda - Margherita Barbieri - @alwaysmargi
• Producer - Ethan McDowell - @ethansmcdowell
• Production Company - AnyOther. Productions - @anyother.productions
• Follow Ruby and Margi's recovery community, @play.brave, on TikTok