When an insecure teen becomes a model to feel worthy, she’s pulled into a predatory world and must fight for the only thing they can’t take: her story.

SYNOPSIS:

MIRELLA (27), a successful top model with millions of followers, wakes with a hangover in a trashed luxury hotel suite. This wasn’t a party. On the TV, her face appears in a new RAV Beauty ad. An envelope full of cash was left by Junior for her.

Far away in a struggling rust-belt town, STELLA (16) lives with her mother HELENA (38), a factory cleaner overwhelmed by debt and survival. Helena loves Stella fiercely but expresses it through criticism, silence, and worry. She wants her daughter to escape the life that crushed her. Stella believes that if she can help her mother, she will be worthy of her tenderness.

Stella’s refuge is books and Instagram. She never posts, but scrolls endlessly through images of supermodels like Mirella, who appear confident, adored, untouchable. A life she believes is light-years beyond her reach.

When WILSON, a charismatic model scout, approaches Stella outside school. He sees potential in her height, quiet beauty, and presence. Helena is wary, but Wilson’s promises, and the cash advance that could keep their lights on, push her to sign with I.N.T. Model Agency.

Stella arrives in the city, hopeful and overwhelmed. DIONE (60), the agency’s elegant owner and former supermodel, greets her with warmth, promising guidance and family. But behind Dione’s charm is a quiet urgency. Junior, the powerful CEO of RAV Beauty, has already chosen Stella as his next obsession.

Stella moves into a cramped model apartment and shares a room with DANDARA (21), a Brazilian model supporting her entire family, and ZOE (18), a model and influencer drowning in agency debt. During castings, Stella experiences the hard work without glamour: long lines where she reads to pass the time, harsh rejections because of her unbalanced walk, and watching designers dismiss girls for humiliating reasons. Dandara even pulls her out of one casting after witnessing racism toward an Asian model.

At the agency, Zoe is threatened with eviction. She falls into the orbit of GISLAINE, a seductive influencer who ushers her into the “party life”, full of wealthy older men, great cars, and glamorous parties. Perfect for selfies, but at a high cost.

Stella devotes herself to training. MIGUEL, the runway coach, teaches her technique, but it is AMIR (40), a queer designer and former model, who gives her confidence. Through Amir, Stella discovers the underground side of fashion: drag queens, ballroom, misfit models, and a chosen family. For the first time, she sees fashion as human, expressive, and alive.

Her career takes off. Designers now love her walk and style. Dione pushes her strategically, and Junior decides Stella will be the face of Glo-Up, his new global beauty campaign. She will also walk the prestigious Daedalus show alongside Mirella.

Stella's first photoshoot for RAV quickly turns from exciting to frightening.

After a successful but claustrophobic final Fashion Week show, Stella and Zoe are invited to Junior’s private penthouse party. Mirella was coerced by Junior to guide Stella, but slips away. She knows exactly what happens behind those doors. Champagne is poured. Within minutes, Stella and Zoe collapse, drugged.

Later, Stella wakes in Junior’s bedroom, vision warped. She sees him assaulting an unconscious Zoe. When he turns toward her, panic slices through the haze. Fueled by terror, Stella grabs a lamp and fights, screaming in anger and desperation. She drags Zoe out of the penthouse.

In the lobby, a concerned stranger helps Zoe. She is barely conscious. Security storms toward them. Stella runs into the night.

Two days later, Stella expects support from Dione. Instead, she is ambushed. Dione reframes the attack as drunken misconduct and threatens Stella with legal ruin, humiliation, and devastating shame for her mother if she speaks out. Zoe, terrified and coerced, lies, claiming Stella attacked Junior without provocation.

With no power and no allies, Stella finally sees the truth of the industry.

She finds refuge with Amir and, unexpectedly, with Helena, who travels from far away to see her daughter. In a long, emotional hug, mother and daughter confront their wounds and recognize the love they never knew how to express.

She eventually rents a tiny apartment in a rough neighborhood. Humble, but hers. Kids fly kites between cracked buildings. Life feels real again.

A year passes.

Stella fulfills her remaining contracts mechanically. Her distant, empty expression becomes a desirable look. What the industry praises as “cool restraint” is simply her burnout.

Stella studies, reads, and begins writing. Her journal becomes her voice. She turns her story into a book titled New Face.

When her contracts end, Stella leaves modeling behind. At the airport, she spots her book on a bestseller display. A young girl nearby seems to recognize her, until Stella realizes the girl is staring at a RAV cosmetics ad featuring the new face of the brand: an AI-generated model.

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

https://packet.scripthop.com/n...

NEW FACE