Young Sexy & Dead (2024) Film Review
It is widely known that in the fashion industry, not everything is the way it looks. A pretty ironic fact, considering it is all about appearance, looks, and idealism (well, not all the time, but you get it). Since its conception, the shady and dark aspects of one of the most hostile lines of work have materialized in situations of crime, violence, and issues of the absurd. What’s weird is that it has maintained itself untouched and is sought after by aspiring humans who believe they have the ability to convince others to buy horrendous but vanguardist attire.
The mockumentary/comedy Young Sexy & Dead cleverly captures a small part of this issue. Using a noteworthy premise, the film slightly delivers its message. Even if the film isn’t ideally adapted to paraphrase every issue with the modeling industry, it sheds light on what’s necessary to know within its frontiers. There’s not a problem with the fashion and modeling business models. There are tons of them, and this film manages to provide a simple glimpse into a world that’s sinister enough to make a horror film.
In Philip Alderton’s Young Sexy & Dead, an aspiring model by the name of Cynthia is the main subject of a documentary about the modeling industry. She’s not a supermodel yet. But she appears to have the knack for it. Unfortunately, she also has ambition, and she will do everything in her power to become the face of the world’s leading fashion designer. The problem is that she goes too far, and during a very important photo shoot, she overdoses and dies. The crew stares in shock as they see their future crumbling down when the designer obnoxiously yells that the show must go on.
Right then and there, the film becomes satire. A dark comedy about everyone realizing Cynthia can still model if they can accomplish a “Weekend and Bernie’s.” Yes, it’s weird, but it’s Alderton’s official statement about the lack of limits in the fashion industry, where not even the dead can rest in peace.
Yes, it sounds dangerous because the film is dangerous. But it doesn’t aim to change that for one second. Sadly, the feature continues after the tragedy with its mockumentary format, and not one character is able to save the film from what becomes offensive at some point. Films should be sustainable under their own terms, but Young Sexy & Dead feels like an accepted risk that just goes nowhere with its satirical commentary about the ambition in a toxic setting that was going to represent Cynthia’s demise sooner or later.
Yes, I’m aware that it’s all for a purpose, and characters are supposed to be like that. My issue is that halfway through, I felt a complete disconnection from the comedy aspect of the film. It was monotonous and repetitive, and its conclusion felt like the result of a desperate cry for help as characters navigated through an absurd situation that didn’t get any funnier. It only got boring.
