Sebastian (2024)

Sebastian (2024) is an international co-production drama film written and directed by Mikko Mäkelä.

Cast

Ruaridh Mollica as Max Williamson
Hiftu Quasem as Amna
Ingvar Sigurdsson as Daniel
Jonathan Hyde as Nicholas
Lara Rossi as Claudia
Leanne Best as Dionne
David Nellist as Peter
Pedro Minas as Oliver
Fleur Keith as Joan
Dylan Brady as Joel
Akbar Kurtha as Samir
Marcus Macleod as Stuart

Director: Mikko Mäkelä Genre: Gay Drama Release Year: 2024

Trailer

Synopsis

The film centers on Max, an aspiring young writer living in London.
In pursuit of authentic material for his debut novel, Max embarks on a double life, working as a sex worker under the alias “Sebastian.”
The narrative delves into Max’s exploration of this hidden world, examining the impact it has on his personal life and his creative process.
The film explores the lines between artistic exploration and personal exploitation.

Key Themes:

Identity and self-discovery
The nature of creativity and artistic pursuit
The complexities of modern sexuality
The exploration of the sex work industry.
The search for authenticity.

Production

Written and directed by Mäkelä as his second feature, Sebastian was produced by James Watson for their joint company Bêtes Sauvages, co-produced by Helsinki-filmi and Lemming Film België, and executive produced by Ciara Barry and Rosie Crerar of barry crerar. The film was supported by the BFI and Screen Scotland, as well as the Finnish Film Foundation, Finnish Impact Film Fund, Great Point Media, BNP Paribas Film Finance, and the Belgian Tax Shelter.

Principal photography took place in London, Glasgow, and Brussels, with post-production in London, Antwerp and Helsinki

Release and Reception

In December 2023, it was revealed the film would premiere in January at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. LevelK acquired the international rights to the film ahead of its Sundance premiere.In February 2024, the film had been acquired by Kino Lorber for North America. They released the film theatrically on August 2, 2024.
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 71% based on 49 reviews, with an average rating of 6.9/10. The website’s consensus reads: “Mollica compels as a young man caught between two lives and his performance elevates Sebastian, a provocative if uneven story that explores an artist’s quest to find inspiration and authenticity in the name of art.” Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 53 out of 100, based on five critics, indicating “mixed or average” reviews.