Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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Sources: docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRuqf6B5NQqK4pdy18lV3y1ZMb3MqSyiprmL5wgO20Ue1ohakuJx9kpP5hw57SoBnyfOimfNerXdclA/pub

In 1987, filmmaker Todd Haynes had an audacious, some would say blasphemous, idea: create a biopic of beloved pop songstress Karen Carpenter starring, not actors, but dolls. What began as a 43-minute student film became an underground sensation. Haynes’s unflinching look at the life of Karen Carpenter earned praise from critics, but not everyone enjoyed it. Before long, the film was banned. In this video, I explore the true story behind the film’s disappearance—from the conception of this groundbreaking work, to the nightmare legal battle that has threatened to keep it from public view for good.

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Music by Epidemic Sound

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