Imagine I'm Beautiful

Lana arrives at Kate’s charming second-floor apartment in Brooklyn, dragging along a wheeled suitcase. With her boyfriend Geoff gone, Kate intends to transform her old office into a cozy bedroom for a new roommate. Enter Lana, a seemingly innocent and cheerful young woman from Utah, who has yet to find employment and dreams of city life. Kate, with a sharper, more cynical outlook, knows the realities of living in the big apple. With both women humorously interrogating one another with the question, “Are you a serial killer?”, they establish that is the only prerequisite to cohabitate, leading to Kate welcoming Lana into her space.

As Lana dives into job interviews for waitress positions, she meets Natasha, a friendly but self-assured woman. For reasons unknown, Lana chooses not to pursue a job that Natasha is interested in but agrees to go out and have some fun together later. Unfazed by any dress code, Lana dresses provocatively, applying excessive makeup that makes her look out of place. When she arrives at the venue, it appears more suited for hookers rather than casual friends. Although Natasha is late, upon her arrival, she shares a kiss with a man and departs with him. Meanwhile, Lana’s night takes a strange turn as she kisses the bouncer and stumbles home by 7 AM the next day.

In stark contrast, Kate spends her evenings locked in her bedroom, drowning her sorrows in loud, melancholic music, drinking, and seemingly indulging in drugs. Unemployed and increasingly isolated, Lana’s concern for Kate grows after Joe the Super comes to knock on the door following noise complaints. He appears kind but is clearly from another country. In her worry for Natasha, Lana invites her over, but the encounter takes a disturbing turn when Natasha accidentally walks into Kate’s bedroom and finds her self-harming. Kate angrily tells Natasha to leave, although Lana insists that it’s her apartment as well. This confrontation prompts Lana to reveal her own painful past—her mother committed suicide, leaving her worried for Kate.

When Lana discovers Kate passed out, she carefully takes care of her and stumbles upon a collection of her photographs. Later, Kate shares that she was a professional photographer but has since stopped due to her broken camera, and she left her financial consulting job because it brought her no joy. As they start to bond, Kate opens up about her miscarriage and the emotional wreckage it caused in her life, contributing to Geoff’s departure.

After securing a job, Kate gets motivated by Lana to have her camera repaired as she encourages her to revisit her photography career. Despite this support, she hesitates and finds herself in talks to return to her old finance job. Meanwhile, Kate goes about mending her relationship with Geoff. They eventually meet Massi, their charming upstairs neighbor from the wine business, who is unwittingly caught in the middle of the girls’ dynamics as Lana develops feelings for him but wants to remain considerate of Kate’s potential interest.

As Kate and Geoff rekindle their romance, complications arise when Lana proposes a rather unconventional solution: she will maintain a sexual relationship with Geoff to prevent him from pursuing any other women while he waits for Kate to be ready. During a group gathering, Lana candidly reveals her arrangement, presenting it as a normal course of action, but when Massi threatens Geoff in a fit of protectiveness, chaos ensues, leading to Kate’s anger. In the aftermath, she and Lana find a way to reconcile.

During a serene moment in the park, Kate mistakenly thinks she sees Lana, but it turns out to be Dorothy, Lana’s mother, who is on a quest to uncover the whereabouts of her runaway daughter. Upon discovering Lana was living in New York City, Kate takes Dorothy back to her apartment, demanding that Lana finally come clean about her situation.

The narrative then alternates between two separate scenes, one in the apartment and the other revealing Dr. Whitaker advising Lana to seek help and consider hospitalization. Lana’s poignant inquiry, “Do you think I’m beautiful?”, sheds light on the film’s title and her deep-rooted insecurities. While she ultimately agrees to treatment, the film circles back to how it all began, leaving viewers with profound reflections on beauty, acceptance, and the search for connection.

Last Updated: October 25, 2024 at 10:36