THE BIG PILE

1985, USA, Short, Black & White, 48 minutes

Summary: Dotie Fields (Barbie Levy), an ambitious and brilliant Vassar student, becomes disillusioned with the banality of her world. Cursing her existence, she hysterically decides to pursue a career in New York as a top fashion model. Bags packed, Dotie descends upon her one friend, Jacques Braque (James Noggle), a semiotician doing graduate work at Columbia. Despite the squalor of her surroundings, the next morning she manages to dazzle the top modeling agent in the business. Jack Hoffman (Walter Barnett), a notorious cad, fires reigning top model Vera (Adriana Notarfrancesco) when he is bowled over by Dotie's exquisite beauty and unpredictable charm during a high fashion photoshoot. Impressed with the way Dotie humiliates Vera, Jack puts Dotie in front of the camera and Vera storms out in a rage. Quickly becoming the highest paid model in The Big Apple, Dotie enjoys the fast paced life of glamor and attention but does not enjoy Jack's voracious sexual appetite. When a coveted position opens for the Chip N' Dales exotic male dancer shoot, Dotie delivers flawlessly, despite the aggressively jealous male models who try to sabotage her. Jack is so pleased with the innovative shoot that he throws a party. While Jack is making his famous cheese fondue, Vera barges in and demands that Jack fire Dotie and reinstate her as the top model. Jack is drunk and hurls the pot of molten Gruyère over Vera's million dollar face, boiling her flesh and scarring her for life. Meanwhile, the party is a smashing success and Dotie mingles with Bianca Jagger, Umberto Eco and Marina Gold, Manhattan's wealthiest playgirl. A mysterious woman dressed for a masquerade ball crashes the party and lures Dotie to the kitchen. There she reveals herself to be the horribly mutilated Vera who aims her gun at Dotie's head in revenge. Thinking fast, Dotie manages to turn the gun around so Vera is shot and killed. Soon, Dotie plays the air guitar to "Ghostbusters" and then electrocutes Jack while he takes a bath. With two murders under her belt, Dotie goes undercover only to be chloroformed and kidnapped by the lecherous Duchess of Marlborough. Vampira, the Duchess' seductive henchwoman, convinces Dotie to take a bath with the aging lesbian which causes her to lose her mind and succumb to insanity.

Film Festival Premieres: WORLD PREMIERE 8BC (with The Wayfarers) (June 5, 1985)