Original subtitles

[phone ringing]

Hi. Vivian Lee Finch. Davenport, Iowa.

-Heather Billings. Billings, Montana. -[both laugh]

I collect snapshots. Do you mind?

-[Vivian] Not at all. -Thanks.

My mom gave it to me for graduation.

She said, "You never wanna forget a friend's face."

[Vivian] Mmm.

Oh. There's a lot of girls here. [chuckles]

Yeah, because it's Thursday.

Every Thursday, Sheila holds an open call across all categories.

Editorial, or "The Faces."

[shutter clicks]

Runway. We call them "The Walkers."

And fitness.

"The Spartans." Girls come from all over to be seen.

[sighs] Well, I just got in yesterday.

Then I promised myself, the first day I wake up in New York City,

I am going straight to Sheila Klein's office and introducing myself.

Hmm. Good for you. It's been three months for me.

Ah, do you eat Vogue for breakfast too? My dream is to be on the cover.

Mine too.

Yeah. I'll make you a deal, Heather Billings from Billings, Montana.

If I'm the first one to the top of the mountain,

I'll throw the rope back and hoist you up.

And if you make it first, you throw the rope back for me.

How about that?

-Pinkie promise? -Yes.

Not a lot of sisterhood in this sorority.

All the more reason girls like us have to watch each other's backs.

-Okay. -[both giggle]

[paper rustling]

[agent] Forehead.

Nostrils.

Braces? Ugh, what is this, the Mickey Mouse Club tryouts?

[sighs]

Hmm. She's fresh. Bring her in.

Ugh.

Everyone is so pretty and skinny. Nobody in Davenport looks like this.

Well, -2 is the new size 0.

[door opens]

[assistant] Vivian Finch.

That's you.

-Oh. Okay. Okay. Okay. -Yeah.

[Vivian] Okay.

[Heather] Good luck.

[footsteps approaching]

Vivian Lee Finch. Tell me, why are you here?

[inhales] I'm here because I have a dream.

I was born with something called neuromuscular scoliosis.

-My spine was curved-- -No, don't. Stop.

This is not your one-woman show. What do you do?

Uh…

Editorial. Runway. Fitness. What do you do?

Oh, um.

I suppose I hadn't really thought about that. [laughs] Um.

I-I wanna do anything. Everything.

I wanna be on the cover of Vogue.

[laughing] Oh, sweetie.

[laughs]

Just because you're the prettiest girl in Hog Scrotum, Indiana,

doesn't mean you have what it takes to be on the cover of Vogue.

I'm from Iowa. [chuckles] Davenport.

Walk.

Walk!

Oh. Uh, okay.

[pants]

Okay. [sighs]

[exhales]

["Boys Wanna Be Her" playing]

♪ You've got them all by the balls Causin' waterfalls ♪

♪ Stonewalls, bar brawls Climbing stalls at concert halls ♪

♪ To you they crawl, body sprawled Smoking Pall Malls ♪

♪ Close calls, stand tall Doll, you make them feel so small ♪

♪ And they love it ♪

-♪ The boys wanna be her ♪ -♪ The boys ♪

-♪ The girls wanna be her ♪ -♪ The girls ♪

-♪ The boys wanna be her ♪ -♪ The boys ♪

-♪ The girls wanna be her ♪ -♪ The girls ♪

-♪ The boys wanna be her ♪ -♪ The boys ♪

♪ I wanna be her ♪

♪ Yes, I do ♪

[music ends]

[Vivian panting]

Was that all right?

[smacks lips] You know,

it really doesn't take that much talent to be a model.

I mean, not really.

But to be a supermodel…

Well, it takes more talent than anything in the world

and not the kind of talent that you can teach.

It's star quality.

And, my dear, other than Linda Evangelista,

you have more of it than anyone I've ever seen come through that door.

[gasps] Really? Oh, wow. Miss Klein, you have no idea what that means.

I really wish I could sign you, I do. Good luck to you. I mean it.

[paper rustling]

-Oh. Bring this one in. -[Vivian stutters]

But I-I don't understand.

What are you, a size 2?

-Uh, a 4. -[laughs] Oh, sweetie. A 4?

You're too fat.

[car horn honks]

Vivian. Wait.

[sirens wailing]

-[Heather] Are you okay? -[sighs]

I feel so stupid.

God, how embarrassing.

Let me guess.

She told you you were too heavy?

No, she said I was too fat.

I mean, who says a thing like that?

I'm sorry.

[groans] I will show her. She has no idea what I'm capable of.

[sniffles] I'll diet. I'll exercise.

I'll do whatever it takes. Just you wait.

It won't work.

[scoffs] So you think I should just give up too, huh?

Gee, whatever happened to us girls having each other's backs?

Vivian,

I'm not telling you to quit.

I'm just saying it won't work.

Dieting. Exercising.

Would you believe it if I told you I used to be a size 4 too?

That's impossible. You're so skinny.

[sniffles]

I know.

Here.

Go see this guy. Dr. Lau.

It's the only way.

I don't like to cut corners--

ask anyone who knows me--

but I don't know what to do.

I-I've been dieting and exercising.

I-- I lost four pounds, but the rest, it just won't come off.

Well, your blood work is excellent.

I'm recommending a course of a drug called Mondify.

It's a diabetes drug but I use it off-label

for weight loss with a lot of patients in Hollywood, the modeling industry,

blonde news anchors on Fox, et cetera, et cetera.

Is it a pill?

I've never taken anything more than an aspirin.

Not a pill, a shot. Once a week. The weight will fly off.

A shot.

Ugh. Um, I don't know. Um.

Look, Mondify is nothing to be afraid of. Side effects are minimal.

Tiny needle, FDA approved. All aboveboard.

You know, I use Mondify myself.

It's a drug of the future.

Here,

I'll show you how to use it.

[grunts]

[exhales]

-So I just stab it in and push the button? -Mm-hmm. Just stab and push.

-[sighs] -Should we toast?

To…

To Vogue.

[Heather chuckles]

[exhales]

[retching]

Hi. Mary Alice, right? You're Sheila's assistant?

Profiles.

Give us a twirl.

What do you think?

-I think you look fantastic. -[sneezes]

Go wash your hands, please.

Three words, Vivian Lee from Nobody Cares, Indiana.

Iowa. [chuckles]

I'm signing you.

Oh, my goodness. Really?

-For real, real? -For real, real.

See Marjorie at the front desk. She'll get you all sorted.

I won't let you down. [giggles]

Mondify?

Sorry?

That's what you're on? Mondify?

Oh. Uh.

Yeah. [chuckles]

How long?

Uh, about four months?

I get a little nausea on the day of the shot but otherwise,

I feel great. [chuckles]

Well, keep it up. We'll make you the "It-iest" It girl ever.

[shutter clicking]

[photographer] Over here, Viv. That's it.

Oh. Fuck me in the ball sack. That's beautiful.

-She's a goddess. -[laughs] Good, right?

Oh, she's a fucking Maserati. Vroom, vroom, baby.

-[Sheila laughs] -Ooh. Whoo.

Careful. It's an eyelid. Not a garage door.

-[Vivian sighs] -[shutter clicks]

Oh, Heather, come here.

Hmm, pretty color.

Sheila, this is my friend and roommate Heather Billings.

-It's an honor to meet you, Miss Klein. -[Sheila] Hmm.

Heather is a fabulous model. You should see her portfolio.

It's hot in here. Let's get everybody out. My girl's overheating.

Chop, chop. Come on.

-Ugh, gorgeous. Mmm. -[Vivian chuckles]

A gazelle cannot live with a hyena.

Heather? She's not a hyena.

You don't think that girl wouldn't eat you in a heartbeat just to stay alive?

She's got claws.

And I'm not talking about those dreadful press-ons.

[shutter clicking]

[photographer] Over here, Viv.

[Sheila] Vivian!

[Vivian] Oh, if it's broken, I'll just die.

I am so stupid.

Your nose will be fine, Vivian.

What I'm worried about is your electrocardiogram.

You forgot to tell me you have a heart murmur?

Well, it's a complication of my scoliosis, but I-I hardly thought it mattered.

I-I don't let it affect my daily life.

That doesn't mean you don't have it. It matters.

I can't, in good conscience, allow you to continue on Mondify.

-Your heart could explode. -What? But I need it.

Vivian, this drug could lead to real valve damage.

It caused you to black out.

What if you'd been driving? Would you rather be skinny or alive?

That's supposed to be rhetorical.

[sighs] Well, there has to be another way.

Anything that radically changes the composition of your body

comes with extreme risk.

You lied to me about your medical history.

At this point, any options I do have, I wouldn't recommend to you.

But there are other options then?

[sighs] Vivian,

these things have to come from a place of honesty.

Health first.

It can't come from some insane, jealous desire

to be the skinniest or the prettiest.

[sighs]

You're right.

I don't know what's gotten into me.

[sighs]

You know, my whole life,

becoming a model was a statement I was determined to make

about overcoming odds,

about proving that I wasn't limited by my condition,

my scoliosis.

But there is another philosophy that drives girls in this industry.

Yet it isn't about being the best version of you.

It's about being better than them.

And it's bitter and petty, and…

I-- I just got caught up in it.

Please…

I wanna show little girls out there who have big dreams

that there is a different way to be.

I wanna be an example of empowerment and self-love, but…

I have to stay in the business to do that.

Dr. Lau, if you help me, I won't lie to you ever again.

You have my word.

Wait here.

[door opens]

[sighs]

-[door closes] -This-- It's a very ancient treatment.

All natural, so it won't run you the same risks as Mondify.

But do not take this lightly.

It comes with its own whole set of issues.

Is it a pill?

Oh.

[Dr. Lau] Taenia asiatica.

It's a tapeworm

from a very distant forest.

Wash it down with some oolong tea.

You'll lose more weight with this little guy than on Mondify.

A tapeworm?

But

if you're going to do this, Vivian,

you have to follow my instructions to the letter.

I'm very serious.

[pot clanking]

[tea pouring]

[pot clanks]

The tapeworm will beg to be fed.

You will feel hungry. Very hungry.

But you must eat normally, no more than you would ordinarily.

Do you understand?

[clears throat]

You'll be down ten pounds in a week.

I promise.

[sighs]

[sighs]

[blows]

["Your Love" playing]

♪ When I'm with you I believe ♪

♪ That your love is true ♪

♪ When we love you turn me out ♪

♪ You know what to do ♪

♪ Visions really blow my mind ♪

♪ Fantasizing all the time ♪

[whistles] A princess among us peasants.

♪ Well, I need your love ♪

[screams] You think she's prettier than me?

♪ Well, I need your love ♪

[screams]

♪ Well, I need your love ♪

♪ Don't make me wait too long ♪

♪ Oh, I need your touch ♪

♪ Don't make me wait for your love ♪

Hey, are you, like, okay?

Perfect jawline.

Too bad your hairline is on fucking Mars!

[music continues]

Oh, no.

No, I-I'm sorry.

Wha-- I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

♪ I can't let go ♪

♪ I can't let go ♪

-[alarm buzzes] -[music ends]

[director] That's lunch. Thirty minutes.

She's hogging my light.

[model 1] Oink, oink, little piggy.

[model 2] I heard she ate four double chili cheeseburgers in the bathroom.

She brought them from home.

[model 1] You know what? It's not her fault.

That's just how they eat in "Potatoville," Idaho.

[model 3 laughing]

I'm from Iowa,

you puddles of herpes pus!

Hey! Okay, hold on! Hold on!

-Show's over. -[groans] Don't touch me, you axe wound!

Okay, Viv. I need you to take a breath. Calm down.

[chuckles] I don't need to take a breath. Didn't you hear? [chuckles]

I booked Vogue.

The fucking cover.

So sit on a rusty railroad spike and rotate!

I hate them.

[Sheila] That's perfectly fine.

You can be an outright bitch to them,

but we cannot have scenes like what happened back there.

[sniffles, sobbing] I know. I'm so sorry, Sheila.

The weight loss isn't real.

[Sheila] Everyone is on Mondify.

[swallows] No.

Something else.

I'm a fraud. There's something…

inside of me.

[Sheila] I know.

Impostor syndrome.

You stepped over every other girl to get to where you are.

And now you're wondering, "Why me, why me?"

I'll tell you why. Because you are a supermodel, and they are not.

They will never understand the pressures that you face.

But I do. I have seen it all before.

Everything is gonna be okay. Trust me.

Now, get yourself cleaned up.

Viv?

Hey, guess what?

You'll never believe it,

but Magenta Magazine is doing this article.

It's all about models, misconceptions, how tough the business can be.

Anyway,

guess what?

They're using my photos to go with the article.

My snapshots!

It doesn't pay, but it's gonna be printed all over the world.

Vivian, are you home?

[Vivian wheezing]

Viv?

[Vivian groans]

[breathing deeply]

Vivian?

[Vivian groans]

Hey.

I know you have a lot on your plate right now with Vogue coming up and all,

but do you think you could do some of your dishes

or take out the trash? [scoffs]

This mess is getting out of control.

"Magenta Magazine is doing an article.

They're using my photos."

[Vivian screams]

Magenta Magazine is for has-beens and wannabes.

[laughing]

Viv, you're scaring me.

[grunts]

[Vivian panting]

Heather.

I don't know why I did that.

[sobbing] I am so sorry.

I will buy you another one.

I'm gonna go, Vivian.

-No. -I can't live with you like this.

I'll come and get my stuff later this week when you're gone.

No. Heather. Wait, please.

I have to tell you the truth, please.

It's not-- It's not me. There's--

It's not me.

There's something--

a monster--

inside of me.

I know there is.

I've been in this business longer than you have, Vivian.

Lots of girls have the exact same thing inside them as you.

Even me. I just hide it better.

You have a-- You have a tapeworm?

A tapeworm?

Don't mock me, Vivian!

The monster inside of you is jealousy, insecurity.

You have so much right now, and I have nothing!

[Vivian sobs]

Why would you feel threatened by me?

Good luck with Vogue tomorrow.

I hope it's everything you ever dreamed of.

No, no, wait. Come back. I'm sorry! I'm sorry!

I'm sorry!

I'm sorry.

[sobbing]

[door closes]

[groaning]

[designer speaking indistinctly]

[designer] All right, I can't believe I'm saying this, but the model is too skinny.

There is no body.

There is no body to hang the clothes on.

-[Vivian sighs] -I'm sorry.

Hey, what's going on?

[stylist] You're down five pounds from the fitting, hon.

The dress was custom-tailored. Now we have to redo it.

I can't be.

I get it.

There's a lot of pressure to be thin in this business,

but I've seen girls go down fast and hard because of eating disorders.

What's going on?

-Is it bulimia, anorexia? -No, no. It's--

It's just my constitution.

[chuckles] This ain't my first rodeo, sister.

I'm not trying to embarrass you.

I want you to have a long and healthy career.

Burn, you fat lesbian cow.

Ugh, avert your gaze from me!

[director] Excuse me.

I respect your process, but you better purge that shit before we shoot.

[panting]

[door bangs]

[pants, retches]

[coughs]

[crying]

[retches]

[coughing]

[thunder rumbling]

[car alarm blaring]

[Vivian wheezing]

Vivian?

[Vivian grunts]

[sighs]

I never should have given it to you.

It's too much responsibility if you--

You're too young. I-- I don't--

I-I'm so sorry, Vivian. This is my fault.

I can't stop shedding weight.

I'm losing jobs.

[whispers] I'm too skinny.

[inhales] But more than that--

It's changing me.

The tapeworm metabolizes and stores food more efficiently than we do.

That's why you can eat and eat without gaining in size.

But the worm does grow.

And the bigger it gets, the stronger its need to consume becomes.

This is why you mustn't feed it too much.

But the hunger.

It isn't just for food. It's for…

everything.

All for me,

none for anyone else.

[stammers] The tapeworm is a powerful organism…

but it's also very simple. Y-You see, it, uh…

Its function is its defense mechanism.

It consumes.

As the worm gets bigger,

its need to consume becomes your need to consume.

Its defense mechanism becomes your defense mechanism.

Devour.

Devour anything deemed to be a threat.

[inhales] I have to get it out of me.

Do a surgery.

[sighs]

It's too big. It's enmeshed in you.

Can I take something to kill it?

Uh, almost anything strong enough to kill the worm will kill you too.

[sighs]

There has to be something.

Get it out of me!

[mutters]

[rustling]

[Dr. Lau sighs]

This.

Drink it. The tapeworm has an innate revulsion to it.

You'll experience contractions

and the worm will make its way out to the nearest exit.

Your anus.

When you see its head, grab it.

And tug, firm but gentle.

Keep pulling till the whole thing comes out.

If you've been feeding it as moderately as we discussed,

it should be about a-a foot long by now.

[water dripping]

[inhales]

[vial clanks]

[gasps]

[crying]

[gasps, grunts]

[groans]

[screaming]

[panting, gasping]

[whimpers]

[wailing]

[groaning, cries]

[pants]

[screams, crying]

-[hisses] -[screams]

[tapeworm squealing]

[sobbing]

No, no, no, no. Please.

No, please.

Please. Please. No, no, no.

[screams]

[intercom buzzing]

Vivian, you're not answering. So I assume that means you're not home.

Just letting you know, I'm coming up to get my stuff.

[scoffs]

Vivian Lee Finch.

What happened to you?

Viv?

Are you in here?

Are you okay?

-[tapeworm hisses] -[Heather grunts]

Well, you've certainly got the look,

but I only sign girls who are willing to do the work.

Are you hungry?

Miss Klein, I am starving.

[tapeworm roars]