Girl Model

An American modeling scout travels to Siberia to secure models for the Japanese market in this revealing documentary from filmmakers David Redmon and Ashley Sabin. During the competition that opens the film, hopefuls pose in swimsuits, while Switch model agency representative Ashley Arbaugh judges them on the basis of age, height, and weight. Girl Model narrows the focus to Nadya, a wide-eyed 13-year-old (who sleeps in the same bed as her mother, either due to custom or lack of space). During her journey back to the U.S., Ashley admits that she finds the modeling business insubstantial (it's "based on nothing”), but she enjoys the freedom her job provides. Ashley also started out as a model in Japan, an experience she shares through dispiriting video-diary footage. In Tokyo, Nadya moves into a tiny apartment with Madlen, a Russian model, and goes to casting sessions—meeting with rejection each time, which makes her long for home, although if she gives up, her family will be in debt to the agency. Fortunately, Nadya gets along well with Madlen (who shares Nadya's frustration), but the pair worry that Switch can terminate their contracts if their dimensions expand by even one centimeter. Nadya may be young and inexperienced, but she's eager to work, so it's hard to watch adults repeatedly take advantage (such as the magazine that uses a photograph of Nadya, who receives no payment for her efforts). If Ashley is open with the filmmakers, she's not honest with everyone else, making her a fascinating, if somewhat unreliable guide into a world that features more failures than successes. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)