Gia [DVD]

The film depicts model Gia Maria Curangi's rise,via a glittering modelling career, to a drug-fuelled fall at the age of 26. It is apparently based on a journal written by Gia and left with her friend Linda,whose position in her life was one of lover,confidante and 'rock'. Through all the hectic times of Gia's career they met,broke up and finally reunited when it was too late.Having had an unstable home in Philadelphia from 1960 with an errant mother who encouraged her to get on in life thinking' you can rest when you're dead'. Moving up to New York,she hustled on the street and then began to meet photographers and model agents; one agency run by Wklhemina takes her on and Gia's career began. At this stage, Gia met Linda,a blonde model with whom she had an up-and-down lesbian relationship which began with an after-hours nude shoot.Gia always did need an anchor in her life and that was given by Wilhemina and Linda who went on to find a boyfriend. Gia goes all over the world or at least the fashion centres of Paris and Milan, meeting arty photographers who provided all the pictures for magazines like Vogue and Cosmopolitan but it was a high-speed,high-energy relentless existence which she could never maintain without mental discipline. However, Wilhemina died and Gia's moorings show the first signs of being cast adrift first by drinking and being unreliiable on shoots to the back-alley world of drugs like cocaine first and then heroin. Eventually, she could not work although genuine friends point the way to clinics which could help her with her addiction. She returned to Linda who promised support as soon as the relationship between her and narcotic ended. Gia agrees but a few minutes later is taking some up the nose in Linda's shower. That ended that reconciliation but the fiilm depicted her final humiliation when she steals money, heads for the back alley again and is badly beaten by her dealers. However, the damage had already been done. Gia had collapsed with a bout of pneumonia which was treated but also revealed that she had contracted the new infection of AIDS, probably caught from an infected needle. It is Linda who was there for her at her terminal stay in hospital and to whom Gia gives the journal about her exotic but ultimately deadly life.This piece of cinema verite was most engrossing showing a world of surfaces and relentless manipulation. Models were just 'meat' in some cases, a way to make serious money from the world's elite who are obsessed with the latest fashionable styles. The working life of models was sometimes short but not all of them went down Gia's road She was upfront and confident but was snared by her own weakness which was given impetus by the money she was earning. The lack of stability and a genuine loving relationship led her to self-destruction - unfortunately a familiar story in the worlds of pop and fashion but, nevertheless, very sad.

Great movie love love love

Really great film.

the best film. every aspect of this film was so well done. loved it.

One of my favourite films 💗

Hardly anything this actress is in is spectacular

Great movie and quality

Really good! Angelia is a tour de force!Good cast! Too!