Who: Thirteen-year-old Nadia, discovered in the Ukraine by a modeling agent and sent to Japan on her own to pursue a career and Ashley, the former model now working as a model scout.
What makes it a compelling story: With the promise of fame and fortune, young Nadia leaves her family in rural Siberia after being scouted by Ashley and is sent to Japan with no money, knowledge of Japanese or anything lined up. She doesn't get a lot of gigs and overall suffers, but lasts because she wants to bring money home to her family. It's heartbreaking. But I can't stop watching. She goes from go-see to go-see with no success, and breaks down during the few times she gets to call her family. Why go through it? She's promised tons of success.
The film opens with an open call in Siberia, where hundreds of waif-like preteens strut in bikinis. Scout Ashley looks for the ones that look the youngest, because that is what sells in Japan. We also follow Ashley though her journey, and we find her to be... well, eccentric. She keeps plastic infant dolls in her minimalist Connecticut home to pretend she has children, and she is still kicking herself as a failure as a model. This woman is apparently very self-critical, and it's baffling that she would perpetuate the industry and false promises to other girls.
This doc is far from uplifting and showcases a lot of adults that are making money exploiting the innocent and ignorant. The one thing that gave me hope is that Nadia seemed very mature and sweet, and if not in modeling, she will succeed in what she does (I hope).
