Gia is a 1998 biopic originally created for HBO. The full-length drama stars Angelina Jolie in one of her early breakout roles, portraying the life and tragic death of Gia Carangi, one of the first-ever supermodels who died of AIDS in the 1980s.
As beautiful as she is charismatic, Gia rises from a troubled childhood and carves out a trailblazing path in the world of modeling. We see both her passion and her daring, but also traits of possessiveness, obsession, and emotional codependency with her girlfriend Linda (Elizabeth Mitchell), a makeup artist (a stand-in for real-life love interest Sandy Linter), as well as rampant drug use. The film also provides an early and (still-rare!) example of a bi character being portrayed by an out, bi woman (Jolie).
Regarding her bisexuality, it doesn’t seem like the actual term was used, but Gia is clearly shown at various points to be in love with Linda, her previous boyfriend, and the other men and women she has sex with throughout her life. While Gia is comfortable and self-assured in her queerness, some of the people around her, including her mother and even her girlfriend, dismiss and minimize her bisexuality. But even in the face of blatant bi erasure, Gia holds firm:
Linda: [after Gia mentions maybe settling down and having kids] How straight are you now?
Gia: You don’t need a husband to have kids. And besides, you’re always the one who had my heart.
Still, Gia is a sorrowful portrayal of a tragic bi woman. Gia’s death raised the profile of the AIDS crisis, as she was one of the first high-profile women to die from the disease. Though she contracted the virus from intravenous drug use, it did serve to highlight that the epidemic, often exclusively associated in the public’s mind with gay men, also had victims who were straight or bi, and of both sexes. Though the film was based on the true story and therefore not explicitly an example of the #KillYourGays trope, it is another example of how popular culture has historically been more willing to publish the stories and lives of queer people when it ends in their deaths.
Ultimately, Gia is a very, very sad movie that comes with a heap of content warnings. While the main character is confident in her queerness, the people around her (including her girlfriend!) exhibit internalized biphobia at every turn. It’s a tragic tale about a bi woman gone too soon, and while it serves as an important piece of bi representation in late-1990s cinema, it’s a depressing addition to the collection.