How to Watch the Raw and Revelatory Documentary 'Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields'

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Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields
Sundance Film Festival

Brooke Shields has been known as a pretty face since childhood, watch as she reflects on this vulnerable time.

Thrust into stardom at an early age, Brooke Shields quickly become a Hollywood icon due to her stunning appearance and controversial roles.

Shields starred as a young prostitute in Pretty Baby when she was just 12 years old. Critics reviewed Pretty Baby with mixed reception. While some said the film had a deeper message, others described the movie as "chilling," even calling it "child pornography." Shields played the role of an exploited child and, looking back years later, audiences discovered she was an exploited child actress herself. 

Premiering at Sundance Film Festive in January of this year, Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields explores the legendary actress' career and the greater impact of young women who are encouraged to take on exploitative roles for the career of their dreams. Unlike Pretty Baby before it, the reviews for this poignant documentary film are not mixed, as critics have been impressed by the raw vulnerability of Shields and the important narrative. While previously only Sundance attendees have had the opportunity to watch this documentary, Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields is now available to watch on Hulu.

'Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields'

'Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields'
ABC News Studio

'Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields'

A film that received a standing ovation at the Sundance Film Festival, Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields follows the story of Shields from a sexualized child actress to a powerful adult woman who took back her narrative. The two-part documentary is available exclusively on Hulu beginning April 3.

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"The entirety of my life it was: She's a pretty face. Over and over and over and over again," says Shields in the trailer released by ABC. "And that just seared me."

While Shields was too young an age to understand the pitfalls surrounding the roles she took on early in her career — including Pretty Baby, Blue Lagoon and Endless Love — those around her, like her mother Teri did understand the nature of these portrayals. Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields not only shines a light on Shields' experiences, it also examines the problematic situations young girls are expected to accept, not only in Hollywood but around the world.

"What happened to her isn't really about her as an individual, it's just about women," one interviewee says in the trailer.

How to watch Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields online

Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields, directed by award-winning director Lana Wilson, is available to watch exclusively on Hulu. Along with the interviews of Brooke Shields, you'll see interviews from big stars about the impact of her career, including Laura Linney and Drew Barrymore

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How to watch Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields for free

Since Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields is streaming on Hulu, some people may be able to watch the documentary for free. First-time subscribers are eligible for a free one-month trial of the streaming service.

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