Noticed You Today

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.

Nico is 21, fronting a failing grunge band in small-town Pennsylvania. After discovering his girlfriend in bed with another man, his severe OCD spirals. Working as a middle school janitor, he meets a photographer who plants a seed: take your chances in Milan.

Milan strips him bare. Homeless, starving, sleeping on park benches—until he meets Arianna, who offers shelter and introduces him to his Italian heritage. When his estranged father asks him to find their Croatian roots, Nico travels to war-torn Yugoslavia, arriving during his great-aunt's funeral. Days later, a bomb destroys the village.

Returning transformed, Nico races back to the U.S. to be at his dying grandmother's bedside. After her funeral, he discovers the modeling world was never about him at all. He scrapes together money for Paris, crashes a Thierry Mugler fashion show screaming for an unattainable love, and finds his voice—not as a model or musician, but as a poet surviving on Paris streets.

• 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.

What makes this project unique is that I was there. I lived it. This isn't research or imagination; it's memory transformed into art.

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.

• 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.

• 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: 1990-1991 (early '90s aesthetic, grunge era, pre-internet)

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

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.