THE UNDERWEAR MODEL
Official Selection & Nominee — New York Independent Art Film Fest
After losing his corporate career, a Manhattan underwear model builds a covert vigilante justice operation—until a powerful client pulls him into a deadly conspiracy that forces him to question who controls justice.
Synopsis
JUSTIN (28) is a man of two worlds: a successful Manhattan underwear model and a brilliant technical operative who believes that "justice isn't about being right; it's about who gets to decide." He views his physical perfection as a "statuesque" shield that allows him to move through the world unseen while being the center of attention.
Justin operates as a specialist in "exposure," executing precision missions to dismantle the lives of the corrupt. However, his professional detachment is shattered when he is abruptly fired and blackballed by his boss, ED. This betrayal leads him into the orbit of HARPER and the DISTINGUISHED MAN, a powerful and dangerous architect of high-level conspiracies.
As his investigation intensifies, his separation between Manhattan and his family in Valley Stream collapses. When his brother PETER is attacked, the consequences of his work become personal. CAROLINE, an aspiring lawyer and his love interest, begins closing in on the same truth.
The conflict culminates in a final confrontation where Justin exposes the Distinguished Man using both strategy and deception.
In the aftermath, Justin returns home, confronting hard family truths and choosing to abandon his vigilante work, finding purpose in rebuilding his life away from it.
Themes
About the Writer
Ray Manna is a New York native, screenwriter, adjunct professor at Yeshiva University, executive-level marketing strategist, and former industrial and corporate video director for Fortune 1000 organizations. His screenwriting is grounded in character-driven storytelling that explores power, justice, identity, aspiration, and moral ambiguity.
His first screenplay, "The Republican", was an early foundational project exploring the leveraged relationship between former President Nixon and his White House Chief of Staff, Bob Haldeman. He is currently writing his third feature-length screenplay about a working-class Bronx family struggling to leave the city for a better life.
"The Underwear Model" is an official selection and nominee of the New York Independent Art Film Fest.