Girl Model

Released Sep 5, 2012

1h 17m

Documentary

Mystery & Thriller

List

92%

Tomatometer

36 Reviews

55%

Audience Score

2,500+ Ratings

Filmmakers chronicle a 13-year-old Russian girl's experiences as she tries to fulfill her dream of becoming a model in Japan.

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Violet Lucca

Film Comment Magazine

Despite its poor technical quality, Girl Model is a much-needed counterpoint to the irresponsible camp mentality of Toddlers & Tiaras.

Jun 28, 2013

Full Review

Ty Burr

Boston Globe

A powerful documentary that, with a wider scope and a bit more shaping, could have been even more powerful, perhaps unbearably so. What's there is strong enough.

Rated: 2.5/4

Oct 11, 2012

Full Review

Sheri Linden

Los Angeles Times

The nonaggressive approach can be frustrating, but it nonetheless gets under the skin-deep promises of glamour and wealth that lure a seemingly endless stream of very young hopefuls.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 13, 2012

Full Review

Allen Almachar

The MacGuffin

Redmon and Sabin have created an unflinching film, with their cameras deeply fixed on the subject matter and refusing to turn away.

Rated: B+

Aug 3, 2020

Full Review

Jordan M. Smith

IONCINEMA.com

Despite some very shoddy camera work, Girl Model manages to engrossingly expose some disgusting truths about the youth modeling industry.

Feb 9, 2020

Full Review

Stephen Saito

Moveable Fest

Intended or not, it felt like an incredible metaphor for a world built on images that don't represent the reality behind them.

Dec 17, 2018

Full Review

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Audience Member

absolutely disturbing, the woman scout quite clearly has some deep underlying psychological issues, I wasn't sure whether I watching a modelling documentary or a child sex trafficking documentry, absolutely disgusting and extremely creepy

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Although the film may offer elements of reality in the modeling world, no one dares speak up about how evil it is for young girls. Being sought out as prepubescent youth, offered a future of judgement, starvation, discrimination and pressures that no teen (boy or girl) needs. Why not recruit young women for educational opportunities, to provide a real future that won't leave them with eating disorders, depression and no opportunity. That's the reality. The filmmakers were too chicken shit to find someone who would actually admit, "this is b.s. what we do to these girls." and the main female narrator was a disgusting, evil woman seeking money. How about a film that shows the realities, including the devastation and misservice these agencies provide in the long run. THUMBS WAY WAY DOWN. The narrator lady even admits she doesn't care about the girls. She just wants the money.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

11/01/15

Full Review

Audience Member

A candid, pensive look into a disturbing industry told through the eyes of the models themselves.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/16/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Incredibly sad documentary on the exploitation of Ukranian teenage girls in modeling abroad. Everyone seems to be making money except the girls themselves, and what makes the film even more sad is that the American scout who helps to identify and send these girls abroad was herself a young model who was taken advantage of as well.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Rather dull. I think we all realize this industry is horrible and takes advantage of young girls, and I was hoping for more from this doc. I think with docs, sometimes you get a good person to follow and other times they just don't turn out to be be that interesting.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The modeling industry disgusts me, and this documentary is a good illustration of why. Having said that, this is actually pretty interesting, albeit not easy to watch.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/16/23

Full Review

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David Redmon

Director

Ashley Sabin

Director

Ashley Arbaugh

Actor

Olivia Arben

Actor

Rachel Blais

Actor

Tigran Khachatrian

Actor

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Synopsis

Filmmakers chronicle a 13-year-old Russian girl's experiences as she tries to fulfill her dream of becoming a model in Japan.

Director: David Redmon, Ashley Sabin
Genre: Documentary, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 5, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 8, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $21.2K
Runtime: 1h 17m