An insecure teen escapes her poor life by chasing a modeling opportunity, only to be pulled into a glittering world controlled by powerful people, forcing her to face the predatory beauty industry behind it.

SYNOPSIS:

COMPS: Funny face meets Anora.

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MIRELLA (27), a successful but hollowed-out model, wakes hungover in a luxury hotel suite. Her flawless face plays in a RAV Beauty commercial on TV—only this version of her has had her mole erased, a digital reminder that even her “perfection” is manufactured.

Far away, STELLA (16) lives in a crumbling industrial town with her mother HELENA (38), a cleaner crushed by debt and disappointment. Helena loves her daughter fiercely but expresses it through criticism and silence. Stella grows up believing that if she takes care of her mother, maybe one day she’ll earn tenderness.

Her escape is Instagram. She scrolls through images of supermodel Mirella—confident, adored, untouchable. A life that feels light-years away.

Then that world comes knocking.

WILSON, a charismatic model scout, approaches Stella outside school. He sees potential in her unusual beauty and height. Despite Helena’s mistrust, Wilson’s promises—and a cash advance that could momentarily save them—push Helena to sign the contract with I.N.T. Model Management.

Stella arrives in the city wide-eyed and hopeful. DIONE (60), the agency’s elegant owner and former supermodel, greets her with warmth and praise, shaping herself as a maternal figure. Stella moves into a cramped model apartment run by the indifferent YVONNE. She shares a room with DANDARA (21), a tireless Brazilian model supporting her family, and ZOE (18), an aspiring influencer drowning in debt.

The glamorous façade quickly cracks.

At castings, Stella sees designers reject girls for absurd, cruel reasons. Zoe, desperate after being told to leave the apartment for unpaid fees, gets pulled into the orbit of GISLAINE, a seductive influencer who introduces her to “party work”—escorting wealthy older men under the guise of luxury.

Stella devotes herself to training. MIGUEL, the flamboyant runway coach, teaches her technique, but it’s AMIR (28)—a queer designer and former model—who gives her confidence. Through Amir, Stella discovers the underground fashion world: drag queens, ballroom, outsider models. For the first time, she feels fashion can be human, expressive, alive.

Her career rises fast.

Dione pushes her carefully, and Junior—RAV Beauty’s powerful owner—decides Stella will be the face of Glo-Up, his new global campaign. She’ll also close Fashion Week with Mirella in the prestigious Daedalus show.

But everything comes at a price.

After her dazzling debut, Stella and Zoe are invited to Junior’s private cocktail party. Mirella is meant to escort them but quietly walks away—she knows exactly what happens in that penthouse. The girls’ phones are confiscated. Champagne arrives. Within minutes, both collapse, drugged.

Stella wakes in Junior’s bedroom, vision swimming, and sees him assaulting the unconscious Zoe. When he turns toward Stella, pure survival instinct takes over. She grabs a lamp and fights him off with desperate force, dragging Zoe out of the apartment.

In the lobby, a concerned stranger helps Zoe—who is overdosing. Security rushes toward them. The woman urges Stella to run. Stella flees into the night.

Two days later, Aimée collects her and brings her to Dione. Stella expects protection. Instead she faces betrayal.

Dione reframes the assault as drunken misbehavior, threatens Stella with legal ruin, and warns she will never work again if she talks. Zoe—clearly coerced and terrified—lies, claiming Stella attacked Junior unprovoked.

In one devastating moment, Stella realizes the truth: this industry is designed to feed on girls like her.

She finds refuge with Amir and, unexpectedly, with Helena. Mother and daughter finally confront their shared wounds, understanding each other for the first time.

A year passes. Stella works nonstop—photo shoots where her numb, hollow expression becomes a “trend.” What others call fashion is simply burnout.

But she’s saving money. Planning. Surviving.

Eventually she rents a small apartment in a rough neighborhood—a humble place, but hers. Kids fly kites between broken buildings. Life feels real again.

Stella studies, reads, and begins to write. Writing becomes the way she rebuilds her voice and her sense of self. She turns her story into a book: New Face.

When her contracts finally end, Stella leaves the modeling world behind. At the airport, she notices a billboard featuring an AI-generated model—proof that the industry is already preparing to discard human girls entirely.

Stella walks toward her gate. For the first time, she is stepping into a future she chose.

NEW FACE