Movie Review (10): Gia

I've had this movie recorded on the PVR for the last 6 months and never got around to reading it. I had heard it was a sexy movie and I felt I should be in the right mood to watch it.

It wasn't very sexy, at least to me. It was touching and showed a side to the modelling world that most shows don't let us see. Gia was a happy young girl and then she got sucked into the world of fashion. They used her up and spit her out. She died far too young from a disease that the world wasn't truly aware of yet.

The part of the movie that stuck with me, wasn't the drug use, but that she felt so alone and was clinging to anyone who would show her an ounce of love. She was pulled from her slightly broken family and pushed into a world where she was preyed upon. Everyone loved her. She was so young and had no idea how to navigate the fashion world. She'd do anything they asked of her and more. She was so lonely that she turned to drugs as a way to find happiness. Sadly, that only lasted for so long. She clung to everyone and lost a lot of people. Every lose pushed her farther down.

I found it sad and scary that she descended so far into drug use and even as a junkie who was completely incoherent, they still wanted to photograph her. The scene where she is spaced out, and they are manually positioning her body for a photo made me angry and sad all at the same time. Anything for a picture.

Gia was a sad story, but it had a good message from all sides. From the young girl who said yes and ended up dying. From the mother who cared for her and wanted nothing but to please her. From the girlfriend who tried to do the right thing and no matter how she tried, would fail, but not through her own fault.

This movie is old, but it certainly shows great acting by Angelina Jolie.