Gia Movie Analysis PDF

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Analysis of the life of Gia Marie Carangie base on the movie Gia...

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Rachel Joy D. Baloloy

May 24, 2019

Psychological Assessment

Movie Analysis

I.

BACKGROUND OF THE CASE Gia Marie Carangi was born in Philadelphia in 1960. She was the only female child of her parents. She was very close to her mother, Kathleen. Her mother would always praise her saying she is the prettiest of girls. During her childhood, Gia witnessed her parents argue with each other. She heard her father being angry because of her mother’s infidelity. She also heard her mother say that her father makes her want to die. In the end, Gia’s mother left with her new husband. Gia grew up with her father and two brothers. She worked in their family restaurant. Around the age of 17, she was sporting a spiky colorful hair and tattoos. She learned how to smoke. She acted and looked boyish and maintained a dominant stance and a direct way of speaking. She met TJ in their restaurant and she made him nervous. She was glad about that because she believes that when others are scared of you, they won’t notice how scared you are. She flirts with TJ and by impulse she decided to leave work and dragged TJ to come with her. While she was having fun on the streets, she was scouted by a photographer. The photographer described that Gia hated to be photographed because she couldn’t stay still. She would always move around and you needed to run after her and tie her down. The photo shoot devolves into a make-out session. Gia was casual about sex and she seemed to be open to physical intimacy with both sexes. After the photos from the shoot were printed, Gia lingered outside her mother’s house. When her mother left, she broke into the house and put the folders with her pictures inside her mother’s bedroom. She sat on the bed, smelled and laid her head in the pillows. Her photos attracted the attention of Wilhelmina Cooper, owner of a modelling agency in New York. Gia travelled to New York with TJ to meet her. Before Gia entered the agency, she hesitated when she saw the inside full of properly dressed blonde women. She stuck her chewed gum on the glass door and came in. She also had a confrontation with the receptionist when she wasn’t immediately entertained even though she had an appointment. She got her pocket knife and carved her name on the front desk and

impolitely asked the receptionist to let her boss know she’s here. When she talked to Wilhelmina, she said she wouldn’t have come to New York if they were looking for Marcia Braddy, which was a female character with blonde hair. This is because when you looked at Gia, she had black hair and she was dressed in a t-shirt, leather jacket and pants. Wilhelmina commented that her choice of clothes was interesting but her way of speaking was not. She said that in the fashion industry, talking is irrelevant because the important thing is the image. Gia started going to auditions for different companies. She expressed that she goes and sees all of these people but nobody sees her. She expressed that she wasn’t good in any of this and even is she is; she was not exactly sure what she was good at. She also started living in New York. TJ helped her when she moved into her new apartment but afterwards, he decided to go back to Philadelphia. Gia tried to convince him not to go saying she needed someone to take care of her because she was only a 17-year-old kid. She also tried to seduce him into not going. TJ was reluctant because he knows Gia would not really have sex with him. In the middle of them making out, Gia tried on TJ’s briefs and pretended she had a penis. TJ also asked Gia if she ever had sex with a man, she said she did but she could also have done that with a dog. In the end TJ left. One night before her first photo shoot, Gia called Wilhelmina. When Wilhemina was questioning her why she called, she got distracted by Wilhelmina’s husband’s angry voice. She started questioning Wilhelmina if he was violent as the rumors say. She also said that if he ever laid a hand on Wilhelmina, she would kill him. Wilhelmina figured out she was nervous and told her to take a medicine that would help her sleep. Wilhelmina reminded her to just be herself, but she didn’t know who she was. Gia went to her first photoshoot wearing a hoodie and pants and she saw that she was underdressed in comparison to another model. She was even thought of as a beggar. When she entered the studio, she introduced herself to her make-up artist, Linda, that she was just a dumb girl from Philly. She also helped out Linda open a can of soda with her knife. Seeing her do that, another make-up artist compared her to a beast and said she reminded him of his brother who was in jail. After the initial photo shoot was done, the photographer suggested he wants to take nude photos. Gia volunteered to stay for that if Linda would also stay. Gia and Linda ended up having sex after that. The morning after,

Linda tried to leave saying she has to go because she has a boyfriend. Gia didn’t care that though and begged her to stay. She was confused why everybody have to go. Linda said Gia was like a puppy begging to be loved. Gia became successful in her career. Wilhelmina was proud of her. Gia spent time in Wilhelmina’s house and she would act like a kid around her like putting her head in Wilhelmina’s lap and telling her about her crush. Together with the success in the modeling industry, Gia was also introduced to its culture. A model went with her to a club and it was full of scenes of sex, drinking, smoking and drugs. Gia continued to pursue Linda. She even went back to Philadelphia with her to introduce Linda to her mother, who she hasn’t for a long time. Gia shared everything about her job to her mother. Her mother said it was like the past never happened and they were just enjoying talking to each other. Her mother also showed Gia her old diaries. She said the stories are all fairytales about a blonde pretty girl. Gia also seemed to be happy when her mother touched her cheeks. After the mother-daughter relationship was restored, Gia’s mother went with her to New York. Kathleen saw a naked guy in Gia’s apartment, which Gia laughed off and because of that, Kathleen decided to regularly visit Gia. During one of her stays, Gia had a confrontation with Linda. Linda was avoiding her so she went to her apartment and saw her together with her boyfriend. Linda’s boyfriend asked if she was a model and she asked back if he guessed because she looked stupid. She asked Linda to come with her but she was rejected. She kissed Linda in front of her boyfriend and left. She came home, lay beside her mother and put her mother’s arms around her to sleep. When it was time for Gia’s mother to go home, Gia prevented her to go. She was throwing a temper tantrum telling her mother that she needs her now. However, her mother said she had to act like a big girl. When Gia could not convince her to stay. She became angry and threw her mother’s luggage outside her apartment and screamed at her to get out. Gia took drugs to get away from the emotional pain. It affected her work. One of the photographers advises her to just accept that life happens. She said people keep going away from her and it hurts her but the photographer just said that she just need to work and life will come later. She did see through his intentions of wanting her to go back to work so he could get the shot he needs. During another time that she was stressed out,

another model introduced her to another drug. It was shown that because of the drug she started to have illusions like seeing Wilhelmina as her mother and Linda and imagining kissing them. She also talked incoherently with her. She did express that she didn’t know how to stay separate about what’s happening in her career but she doesn’t know how to do that. She also said she doesn’t think a woman is a woman unless she is blonde. She was also confused about what she wants. She also expressed that she would say to her future children that you don’t have to be somebody because being somebody would not make you anybody anyway. Wilhelmina replied that Gia would always be somebody to her. Wilhelmina became sick and during this time, Gia wanted to take some time off. However, Wilhelmina didn’t allow her because of the competitive nature of the fashion industry. Wilhelmina later died. Gia broke down after Wilhelmina’s funeral. She threw the things inside her apartment, screamed and cried. The she took drugs to make herself feel better. She continued to take drugs. During one of her photoshoots she looked lethargic one moment and happy the next. When she felt sick because of the withdrawal symptoms, she ran away from the shoot and came to a place full of junkies. She couldn’t find the drug dealer and she needed her fix. She was desperate so she took another drug addict’s injection. After that, she came to Linda looking battered. Linda took care of her and they got together. Gia went back home to Philadelphia without notice and it caused problems with her agency. She started to regularly take in medicine prescribed by a hospital to help her get over her addiction. She was happy with her girlfriend and said she could be contented with being a housewife. Her mother didn’t like what the medicine for rehabilitation does to her. Kathleen was convinced that Gia will go back to modelling although Gia seriously explained to her that she would not go back. Gia went back to taking drugs though when she suspected that Linda abandoned her for her ex-boyfriend. She broke into her mother’s house and stole her money and jewelry to buy the drugs. She then took off in a car to go to New York but she was arrested by the police. Gia decided to go back to modelling after what happened. She sought out another agency and promised that she will put her drug addiction behind her. She was offered a part in a show but she was doubting whether she can’t do it. She said she can’t talk

because models are not supposed to talk, they are just supposed to look beautiful. Before she was interviewed she took drugs to calm herself down. She looked disoriented during the interview but she still answered the questions coherently. One night, Gia visited Linda and tried to enter through her window. She knocked at first but Linda ignored her so she broke the window glass by kicking it. They had a confrontation because Linda wanted to break up. One minute, Gia was coaxing her, the next she was becoming aggressive and then she started begging Linda not to leave her. Linda gave her a choice between her or the drugs but Gia could not leave the drugs. After this, she continued to use drugs and her career declined because of it. She had scars all over her arms due to her constant use of drugs. During one of her photoshoots, she had an outburst when one of the assistants took away her knife. The photographer coaxed her and praised her saying she was beautiful. She smiled because of that. During one of her travels, Gia called her mother telling her she wanted to come home. Her mother rejected her though because of what happened last time when she broke into her mother’s house. TJ heard about what happened to her and visited her in New York. He found her walking around her apartment looking for money. She was throwing things around and was getting frustrated because she could not find any money. She even offered TJ sex in exchange for money. TJ was heartbroken after seeing her situation and tried to embrace her but she started screaming for him to get off her. She slashed him with her knife to get him to let go and she laughed about it. TJ sent her to a rehabilitation program after that. She suffered from the pain of the withdrawal symptoms there. While on the program, she also called Linda to say sorry. After Gia got out of the rehabilitation center, she got a job in a clothes shop. Her mother disapproved of her job because the place and people where ugly. Gia was rather positive about her future though. Her mother was regretful of the money she made while she was a model. While talking to her mother, she fell unconscious. It was later discovered that she had AIDS. The doctors said she might have got it from a contaminated needle. Gia seemed to be more accepting about her sickness. She thinks there is a reason for everything and that there is a plan for everybody. She thinks that God has a big plan for her, just not in this life. She was dancing, smiling and saying she was on top of everything.

Her mother could not let her live with her because her husband was scared. No one was really familiar with AIDS during those times. She lived in a hotel. She also visited Linda. They talked about her future plans. She also gave Linda her diaries. It consists of all her fairytales about a golden-haired pretty girl liked by everybody. The girl wonders how to get to a wonderful place that is safe, clean and pretty. The people who liked her also betrayed her and stole her golden hair because they were poor. She became ugly and the people threw her out and she never came back. She said that she wants Linda to read it. Gia confessed to Linda that she was always the one, the only one who had her heart. Gia put together some money. She pawned somethings, borrowed from her father, stole some from her mother. She planned to use all that money to buy drugs. However, the dealer did not give her the drugs. She was instead beaten up. She stayed at the hospital and her mother accompanied her. During this time, TJ said Gia wanted to make a video warning kids about drugs and encouraging them that they could handle life but they were not able to get a camera. Gia also asked forgiveness from her mother and forgave her mother in return before she died. She lived for 26 years. A quote from Gia, “Life and death, energy and peace. If I stop today, it was still worth it. Even the terrible mistakes that I have made and would have unmade if I could. The pains that have burned me and scarred my soul. It was worth it for having been allowed to walk where I’ve walked which was to hell on Earth, heaven on earth, back again, into, under, far in between, through it, in it and above.”

II.

CLINICAL IMPRESSION Gia is attached to her mother. This is evidenced by her always remembering her mother’s praise of her being pretty, and of her seeking out her approval about her achievements in modeling or in getting a girlfriend. Her mothers’ abandonment when she was a child had a great impact in her life. She grew up without her mother and she became boyish and rowdy because her models were her father and two brothers. She became insecure and scared and she hid that in a tough and dominant exterior. She likes to get the upper hand by scaring others with her looks and behavior first so they won’t

notice her fear. She dressed liked a gangster and acts like one too. This was shown through her rude behavior with the receptionist in Wilhelmina’s agency. Gia was impulsive and follows what she feels at the moment as shown by her suddenly dragging TJ out to have fun the first time she met him. Her accepting of being photographed by a stranger also shows this. Included in this are the time she accepted having nude photos and going with the flow to have sex. She also does not care for breaking rules or following norms. Breaking into her mother’s house and vandalizing property with a knife are some of the examples. Sexual fluidity and lesbianism was part of this. She also insisted on continuing her relationship with Linda even when she knew Linda had a boyfriend. This escalated when she was introduced to the lifestyle of vice in the fashion industry. It also became worse after she got into drugs. She became violent and more aggressive, disregarded work ethics, stole, breaking the window glass of her girlfriend’s apartment etc. Gia was also immature and emotionally unstable. She said to TJ that she needed someone to take care of her. She acted like a kid in front of her agent, Wilhelmina. She depended on Linda to take care of her. This was more obvious when she throws a temper tantrum or have an emotional outburst when people try to leave her. She had a fear of being left behind by the people she cares about. She could not handle the stress of her work as a model and the emotional pain she has and found comfort in taking drugs. Gia also has uncertainties about her own self. She was not sure who she was and what she wants that she would even ask others how to be herself. She also compares herself with the other models and becomes insecure. She would become aware that she was not the normal blonde woman. She thinks that only blonde women are really considered women so she is not. This was more evident when she first started in the fashion industry. She saw how she dressed differently than the fashionable women. She also doubts her own intelligence because she identified being a model a someone who just presents an image but do not really talk. This is what Wilhelmina taught her. After Gia discovered that she has AIDS, she seems to have accepted her imminent death but I think she tried to take her life as evidenced by her attempt to buy a lot of drugs.

Base on Gia’s diaries and fairytales, she wants to be that pretty blonde girl who finds a safe, clean and pretty house and is loved by everybody. Later she also said that she wanted to have kids, go to school and learn something useful. All of these are things she didn’t have or didn’t have the opportunity to have.

III.

CASE DISCUSSION Psychodynamic perspective would say that Gia’s problems stemmed from her mother’s abandonment during her childhood years. She was brought up without her mother and only her father and brothers as her models. She was confused about her identity and stayed immature because she didn’t grow up properly under the care of a loving household. Her attachment to her agent, Wilhelmina and her love for Linda, was her looking for the motherly love she lacked growing up. Her abandonment issues were also because of not wanting a repeat of how her mother abandoned her when she was a child. Humanistic perspective would see that the cause of Gia’s constant confusion about herself and what she wants came from not being able to have her social needs met. If we follow Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, she lacks the sense of love and belongingness. She did not grow up with her mother’s love, she feels like she didn’t belong with the other models in the fashion industry and she didn’t get the love she needs from people she had casual sex with. She was very lonely and like Linda said, she begged to be loved. When she fell into drugs, she even lost her physical and security needs. She became more lost. Cognitive perspective would pinpoint that Gia has unhealthy thinking patterns. She thought that she wasn’t a woman because she was not blonde. Base on her diary, being blonde and pretty equates to being loved by everybody. She also equates being a model to being stupid. She thinks that people leaving would always mean that she was being abandoned.

Behavioral perspective would described Gia to have been conditioned wrongly. Gia wasn’t really disciplined while she was growing up. She sees that being assertive and rude will present a tough façade that would protect her. She would also have temper tantrums and emotional outburst because no one corrected her about it. She had casual sex because it feels good to her and no one really punished her for it. She entered into the lifestyle full of vice in the fashion industry because she gained a friend because of it. She got addicted to drugs because it calms her down and gives her pleasure. She continued to work and curbed her talking because she wanted her agent, Wilhelmina’s approval.

IV.

PROJECTIVE TESTS All the projective tests are applicable to Gia. She has no physical or mental condition that prevents her to follow the instructions given in these tests. If given before, during, and after her prolonged drug abuse, it may also help in figuring out the effect of drugs to her brain and mental state. BVMGT can be used to see Gia’s organicity, especially during her drug addiction or after she came out of rehabilitation. Her personality and tendencies can also be discovered through th...