Noticed You Today
A Film Pitch
Some people are born to be seen.
Others just want to be found.
Logline
A heartbroken young musician with OCD pursues an improbable modeling career across Europe in the early '90s, only to discover that finding himself requires confronting the generational trauma that shaped him.
Story
Nico is 21, raised in a broken home in small-town Pennsylvania, fronting a failing grunge band and working as a middle school janitor. After discovering his girlfriend in bed with another man, his severe OCD spirals. He meets a photographer who plants a seed: take your chances in Milan.
Milan strips him bare. Homeless and starving, he sleeps on park benches until he meets Arianna, who offers shelter and introduces him to his mother’s Italian heritage. Then the father he grew up missing finally reaches out across the ocean, asking him to find the family’s Croatian roots. Nico rushes toward it, traveling to Yugoslavia and arriving during his great-aunt’s funeral, with no idea a war is about to break out. There he holds a record his grandfather made that almost no one outside the village ever heard. The next day, a bomb destroys the village.
Shaken, Nico races back to the U.S. to be at his dying grandmother’s bedside. After her funeral, the girlfriend he left behind tells him she’s pregnant and asks if he has a job. He has no answer. He discovers the modeling world was never about him at all, scrapes together money for Paris, crashes a Thierry Mugler fashion show screaming for an unattainable love, and ends up where the men in his family always did: making music almost no one hears, and playing anyway.
Why This Story Now
- Immigrant Identity: At a moment when immigrant contributions are dismissed, this film honors the truth—America was built by people like Nico's grandparents who left everything to forge something new.
- Broken Homes: Nico's fractured family mirrors millions of American youth. The film explores the cost of broken communities and the search for belonging.
- Masculine Vulnerability: A rare portrait of a young man struggling with OCD, heartbreak, and the pressure to perform masculinity in a world that commodifies male beauty.
- European Values: Through Arianna and the Croatian villagers, Nico discovers a culture where human connection matters more than profit—a stark contrast to American individualism.
- Historical Moment: Early '90s Europe, the Yugoslav Wars, the end of the Cold War—a transformative time rarely depicted authentically on film.
This Is True
What makes this project unique is that I was there. I lived it. This is memory transformed into art, with some events compressed for the screen.
The photos from that time exist. The villages exist. This is intellectual property in the truest sense: a firsthand account of a specific moment in history that no one else can tell.
Comparable Films
Inside Llewyn Davis
Circular structure, struggling artist protagonist, economic desperation, episodic narrative, music as survival, melancholic tone. Our primary comp.
Paterson
Quiet observational tone, unrecognized artist protagonist, episodic daily structure, poetry and music made without audience, the act of creation as its own reward.
Key Themes
- Generational Trauma: Nico's journey mirrors his parents' failures and grandparents' displacement. Breaking the cycle requires confronting inherited pain.
- The Wandering Soul: From the Summer of Love to present-day Paris, the search for meaning and home persists across generations.
- Art as Survival: Music becomes Nico's lifeline—not for fame, but to process pain and find meaning.
- Family & Heritage: Discovering his Italian and Croatian roots connects Nico to something larger than himself.
- Class & Shame: The modeling world exposes Nico to wealth and beauty, intensifying his working-class shame.
Authenticity
This photo was taken in Milan, 1991.
The writer was there. The modeling world, the Croatian village, the Paris streets—all real. The period detail, emotional truth, and cultural specificity cannot be replicated.
"Based on true events" increases marketing value and festival appeal. Audiences want authentic immigrant stories told by those who lived them.
Production Details
- Locations: Milan, Pacentro (Italy), Croatia, Paris, Pennsylvania
- Co-Production: Italian, French, and Croatian film fund eligibility. Multi-country story ideal for European financing.
- Language: Primarily English, with Italian and Croatian dialogue (subtitled)
- Period: 1991 (early ’90s aesthetic, grunge era, pre-internet)
Team & Partnerships
Tom Demar – Writer / Creator
Second-generation Italian-American and Croatian-American. Lived in Milan and traveled through Yugoslavia in 1991. Has made micro-budget films and is seeking experienced production partners for this international co-production.
Seeking:
- European Production Partner: Italy, France, or Croatia preferred
- Director: Experienced with character-driven drama and European co-productions
- Financing Partners: EU film funds, private equity
- Sales Agent: International festival strategy
Let's Talk
Noticed You Today is a personal story with universal themes—a love letter to the immigrant experience and the search for home. I'm seeking partners who believe in authentic, character-driven cinema.