Girl Model

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  • Opened September 5, 2012 (NY)
  • 1 hr 17 min

  • Parents: Common Sense Media says OK for kids 12+. More on child suitability

  • Girl Model follows two protagonists involved in the modeling industry: Ashley, a model scout who scours the Siberian countryside looking for fresh faces to send to the Japanese market, and one of her discoveries, Nadya, a 13-year-old plucked from her rustic home in Russia and dropped into the center of bustling Tokyo with promises of a profitable career. After Ashley’s initial discovery of Nadya, they rarely meet again, but their stories are inextricably bound. As Nadya’s optimism about rescuing her family from financial hardship grows, her dreams contrast with Ashley's more jaded outlook about the industry's corrosive influence. Girl Model is a lyrical exploration of a world defined by glass surfaces and camera lenses, reflecting back differing versions of reality to the young women caught in their scope. As we enter their world, it resembles a hall of mirrors where appearances and are deceiving, and there is no clear way out. Full synopsis

  • Cast: Ashley Arbaugh, Nadya Vall
  • Director: David Redmon, Ashley Sabin
  • Genres: Documentary

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Critic Reviews

91
The Playlist
|

It deserves to be shown to teenagers, not necessarily as a warning, but at least as an eye-opener: This is how it works, kids. And it ain't pretty. Read full review

88
Slant Magazine
|

The documentary makes you wonder about every beautiful woman who's ever stared out from a publication, poster, or billboard, looking sophisticated and self-assured. Read full review

80
Time Out New York
| Joshua Rothkopf

Stopping just short of the devastating exposé it might have been (but plenty creepy). Read full review

80
Total Film
| Jonathan Crocker

The filmmakers stay back, observing, for a restrained, intimate and poignant result. Read full review

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A scene from "Girl Model."