Girl Model
First Run Features | Release Date: September 7, 2012 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
68
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 14 Critic Reviews
Positive:
9
Mixed:
5
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
The PlaylistChristopher SchobertSep 5, 2012
It deserves to be shown to teenagers, not necessarily as a warning, but at least as an eye-opener: This is how it works, kids. And it ain't pretty. Read full review
88
Slant MagazineElise NakhnikianSep 4, 2012
The documentary makes you wonder about every beautiful woman who's ever stared out from a publication, poster, or billboard, looking sophisticated and self-assured. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubNoel MurraySep 5, 2012
Girl Model shows that even though some models make big bucks, the global economy remains the same as it ever was: Those with nothing are seduced by the prospect of something, such that they hesitate to complain, lest they end up with less than nothing. Read full review
80
Time OutJoshua RothkopfSep 4, 2012
Stopping just short of the devastating exposé it might have been (but plenty creepy). Read full review
80
Total FilmJonathan CrockerSep 4, 2012
The filmmakers stay back, observing, for a restrained, intimate and poignant result. Read full review
75
NPRElla TaylorSep 7, 2012
Unless this disingenuous creep of an agent actually believes his own propaganda, you have to wonder what possessed him to open himself to scrutiny by two filmmakers who are well-known for expose docs like "Mardi Gras: Made in China" and "Camp Katrina." Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesSheri LindenSep 14, 2012
Statistical evidence could have strengthened the film's anecdotal argument. But in Nadya's anticipation and Ashley's depressive, disingenuous soul searching, Girl Model captures something beyond hard facts: portraits of delusion, innocent and practiced. Read full review
70
Village VoiceMichelle OrangeSep 4, 2012
The radiant sadness of its two subjects - one a soulfully impassive stripling, one a symmetrical husk - forms the center of Girl Model, and that is enough. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeTy BurrOct 11, 2012
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. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanSep 6, 2012
There are no supermodels or Cinderellas in this sadly compelling story, just predators and the impoverished dreamers who want to trust them. Read full review
60
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisSep 4, 2012
That stink, like iffy contracts and child labor laws, remains unexplored. Filled with blind eyes and unspoken agreements, Girl Model opens a can of worms, then disdains to follow their slimy trails. Read full review
60
The GuardianAndrew PulverSep 4, 2012
This fantastically depressing film ought to be shown in school assemblies, or wherever impressionable pre-teens gather to discuss their dreams of media stardom. Read full review
60
VarietyJohn AndersonSep 4, 2012
While Girl Model falls a bit short in the delivery of hard facts and incriminating evidence, it more than makes up for that with its knotty psychological profile of Arbaugh. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Kate TaylorSep 4, 2012
It is hard to know whether to applaud directors David Redmon and Ashley Sabin for exposing the underside of the fashion business – or demand they abandon their documentarian stance and rescue young Nadya on the spot. Read full review
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