Girl Model

GIRL MODEL follows a U.S. model scout who travels to remote Siberian villages to find thirteen to fifteen year old girls suitable for modeling jobs in Japan. On the one hand, the scout claims her intentions are motivated to help save young girls from poverty. On the other hand, she also talks with pride about her proclivities for discovering fresh new faces. None of the girls have ever traveled beyond their villages. Their limited experience and eagerness to trust adults, combined with their hope of earning money, make it easy for scouts and agencies to place girls in an unregulated industry that craves young girls. This poetic film brings viewers into a modeling industry rife with mirrors, images, facades, and uncertainty. Indeed, it is difficult to know who these young girls can trust and where the industry takes them when their eyes are covered.