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Sebastian
Despite some off-color and graphic subject matter, the 2024 Scottish import Sebastian is a sensitive and often surprising character study centered around a young man leading a double life that seems to be working for him until the inevitable collision of said lives.
This is the story of Max, an aspiring gay writer who works freelance and is currently working on an interview with Bret Easton Ellis and his own novel about a sex worker named Sebastian. He has told his editor that he is doing research through interviewing male sex workers but, in reality, Max is a sex worker, using the name Sebastian, and then reproducing what happens during his sexual encounters, onto his computer as part of his novel.
Director and screenwriter Mikko Mäkelä has come up with intriguing subject matter, a lot of which hasn't been addressed in mainstream films before. As a matter of fact, something tells me the only reason this film got greenlighted is because it's not an American film. The story brings into question a lot of moral, ethical, and legal issues that this central character Max doesn't seem to be concerned about. It was surprising that most of Sebastian's clients were much older than he was and that it isn't until much later in the film that one of his clients finds out that he's a writer and his reaction is not pretty. There's also a scene about halfway through the film, where Max's mother reveals she has read a lot of Max's writing, but she clearly knows nothing about Sebastian. As a matter of fact, there isn't a character in the movie who isn't aware that Max and Sebastian are the same person.
Watching what happens here brings up a lot of interesting questions. Most important of all, is what the legal ramifications might have been if any of Sebastian's clients knew their encounters were being reproduced on paper, but Mäkelä effectively skirts those issues when Max learn his book is not going to be published because Max's final draft begins to focus on Sebastian's growth in his world as a gay man and less about the sex, but the editor wanted the book to be about sex.
It should be noted that there are more than one scene of graphic gay sex in the film and if you are offended by that sort of thing, please be forewarned. These scenes are done with a modicum of taste, but they do go on a little longer than really necessary. Ruaridh Mollica gives a star making performance as Max/Sebastian and mention should also be made of Jonathan Hyde as Nicholas. It's definitely not for all tastes, but there is some very brave filmmaking going on here.
Despite some off-color and graphic subject matter, the 2024 Scottish import Sebastian is a sensitive and often surprising character study centered around a young man leading a double life that seems to be working for him until the inevitable collision of said lives.
This is the story of Max, an aspiring gay writer who works freelance and is currently working on an interview with Bret Easton Ellis and his own novel about a sex worker named Sebastian. He has told his editor that he is doing research through interviewing male sex workers but, in reality, Max is a sex worker, using the name Sebastian, and then reproducing what happens during his sexual encounters, onto his computer as part of his novel.
Director and screenwriter Mikko Mäkelä has come up with intriguing subject matter, a lot of which hasn't been addressed in mainstream films before. As a matter of fact, something tells me the only reason this film got greenlighted is because it's not an American film. The story brings into question a lot of moral, ethical, and legal issues that this central character Max doesn't seem to be concerned about. It was surprising that most of Sebastian's clients were much older than he was and that it isn't until much later in the film that one of his clients finds out that he's a writer and his reaction is not pretty. There's also a scene about halfway through the film, where Max's mother reveals she has read a lot of Max's writing, but she clearly knows nothing about Sebastian. As a matter of fact, there isn't a character in the movie who isn't aware that Max and Sebastian are the same person.
Watching what happens here brings up a lot of interesting questions. Most important of all, is what the legal ramifications might have been if any of Sebastian's clients knew their encounters were being reproduced on paper, but Mäkelä effectively skirts those issues when Max learn his book is not going to be published because Max's final draft begins to focus on Sebastian's growth in his world as a gay man and less about the sex, but the editor wanted the book to be about sex.
It should be noted that there are more than one scene of graphic gay sex in the film and if you are offended by that sort of thing, please be forewarned. These scenes are done with a modicum of taste, but they do go on a little longer than really necessary. Ruaridh Mollica gives a star making performance as Max/Sebastian and mention should also be made of Jonathan Hyde as Nicholas. It's definitely not for all tastes, but there is some very brave filmmaking going on here.