YOUNG SEXY & DEAD
A dark comedy about the fashion world.
A “Day in life of” documentary went terribly wrong and powerful forces erased it, or so they thought. However, a subversive filmmaker has restored parts of it to use in a new documentary, complete with dropouts, glitches and outtakes.
Claudio Vesituges (Steven Berkoff), the world’s biggest fashion designer casts Cynthia Barris, (Ivy Levan)18, a drop dead gorgeous, unknown model for his new campaign. The original documentary’s intent was a glorified publicity film directed by Peter, (Nicholas Irons) 30, a Michael Moore type on his first American gig. But from the start it went wrong.
The documentary crew arrives at the NYC hotel to find Cynthia carousing with other naked female models. They then discover the shoot has been delayed and moved to LA. Wrong day, wrong city, and definitely the wrong image!
Arriving in LA Cynthia visits Robert, (Jeremy London), the agent who she forgot she had there after she moved to NYC and joined Ford. But by a quirk of fate, he got her the job. He is a nice, ambitious guy who is jaded by years in the agency T&A fringe zone, and girls who “Date” clients and pretending he has staff. He isn’t hip enough to work for the big agencies. His top girl is Sabrina, (Arielle Vandenberg) 30, an over the hill model, attracts abusive boyfriends and dates clients. She is desperate for one last big job to go out on.
Distraught by her Phillippe experience and fear that Claudio believes she “has gained weight” she overdoses and dies on set while most of the crew stands around, oblivious. Susie and Hanna, documentary crewmembers, earn Peter’s wrath when they try to revive a comatose Cynthia. Peter insists Documentarian’s document, they don’t interfere! But, as things spiral out of control will Peter stand by his beliefs?
A delay will cost millions in deadline penalties, so the shoot must go on, with the “deeply sleeping” and now very well paid, Cynthia, at least until Claudio’s doctor arrives from Paris to treat her. Meanwhile, an incredulous, but now very well paid, Robert is dispatched to Cynthia’s mother, to get a release for the corpse. His success tears Robert between elation and despair. Everyone else is outraged as his success now forces each to take a position. They fall like dominos. Whatever their justification is they simply have too much to lose. Who knows, it maybe art!
Having to store Cynthia overnight, Robert turns to Sabrina for the loan of a dress and “moral” support. Sabrina and Robert bond during the night of turning Cynthia – so the blood doesn’t pool. Sabrina feels passé being a live model and fears she’ll miss another fad if she doesn’t act soon? But, how to die? At least models are finding artist status being worth more dead than alive. Sabrina begs Robert to try and substitute her for Cynthia. However, she is keeping her history with Claudio a secret from Robert.
The next day the reality of the corpse shakes Claudio’s resolve, until Peter – seeing his breakthrough documentary about to slip away – reassures Claudio that it is a “revolutionary day in fashion”. Peter has broken his own core tenant. Now there is only one last hurdle: Brooke, a supermodel set to shoot with Cynthia that day. Can she be convinced that working with a corpse is “inclusive”, “breaking down societal barriers”? Will she discover necrophilia isn’t a techno band?
It is a trying day. Posing corpses requires a lot of stands and wires and taxidermist consultations about orifice functionality and then there’s the bloating.
Sabrina decides not to miss the dead fad by having her boyfriend suffocate her. Brooke eventually walks out. Sabrina’s phone rings – is it in time to save her, to give her the big exit, let her settle an old score with Phillippe and Claudio?
Will dead models catch on?
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