Nico

Nico - Icon

This jarring profile of Warhol protege, Velvet Underground vocalist, and unrepentant lifelong heroin addict Nico (nee Christa Paffgen) gives an insider's look into the strange, tragic, but ultimately glamorous life of this 1960s icon. Nico moved from her native Germany to Paris, becoming a fashion model at age 16. Archival footage shows a glowingly beautiful Nico posing for Vogue and acting in television commercials. She even played a role in Federico Fellini's timeless 1960 film LA DOLCE VITA. However, as the film details, Nico slowly deteriorates in the New York City scene surrounding Andy Warhol and The Factory. Interviews by director Susanne Ofteringer with friends of Nico such as Paul Morrissey, Jackson Browne, and even her son Ari Boulonge (whose father is French New Wave actor Alain Delon), shed light on Nico's love affairs with Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, and Jim Morrison. However, what comes through most powerfully is Nico's downfall in New York City's underground, leading to her loss of beauty, disinterest in life, and eventually her mysterious 1988 death in relative obscurity in Ibiza. Footage of the icon herself is nothing short of dazzling, while the story of her life is as fascinating as it is harrowing.