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Sebastian

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1:56

Sebastian

Released Aug 2, 2024

1h 50m

Drama

LGBTQ+

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

75%

Tomatometer

60 Reviews

63%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Max (Ruaridh Mollica) is a 25-year-old aspiring novelist, living in London and paying his dues working at a literary magazine. Frustrated by his own ambitions and the pressures to succeed, Max begins moonlighting as a sex worker with the pseudonym Sebastian, secretly meeting men via an escorting platform and using his experiences to fuel his stories. What begins as a few furtive meetings soon becomes a hidden nocturnal life, and the debut novel that he has been longing to write finally seems within reach. Finding himself more comfortable as Sebastian than expected, yet determined to keep his exploits a secret, Max increasingly struggles to remain in control of a delicately balanced double-life. As he confronts conflicting feelings of ecstasy, shame, and exhilarating liberation, Max has to reckon with whether Sebastian is merely a writer's tool to achieve first-hand authenticity -- or whether something more is at stake.

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Critics Consensus

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.

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Wendy Ide

Observer (UK)

It’s tender, thoughtful film-making from Finnish director Mikko Mäkelä, exploring the bond between two men separated by generations but joined by literature and love.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 7, 2025

Full Review

Marina Ashioti

Little White Lies

Sebastian gradually transforms into something more substantial when reaching towards a point about the cross-generational relaying of queer histories, but ultimately is too preoccupied with constructing a shallow character study.

Rated: 2/5

Apr 3, 2025

Full Review

Phil Hoad

Guardian

With the film partly caught in this self-referentiality, it doesn’t develop much beyond a vague treatise on the cost of pseudonymous exploitation. At least the director’s identification with his lead character results in a strong performance from Mollica.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 2, 2025

Full Review

Ben Turner

The Pink Lens

Freud would have had a field day with this drama, but for the rest of us, it’s entertaining, intelligently complex and also indelibly sexy. A must-watch.

Rated: 5/5

May 11, 2025

Full Review

Andrew Murray

The Upcoming

Despite some murky character motivation, Sebastian stands as a well-made feature from Mäkelä, which explores some compelling ideas surrounding artistic creation and companionship.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 9, 2025

Full Review

Victoria Luxford

City AM

It’s more interesting as a character study than a vehicle for examining the larger questions about sex work. A flawed but interesting drama, Sebastian presents a lot of modern conundrums, but performs better when focusing on humanity.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 8, 2025

Full Review

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Cristal

I liked the movie. Maybe a bit too long.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/13/24

Full Review

david m

I really enjoyed this film. It took me by surprise. I wasn't sure what it was going to be about. But it turned out to be such a great experience. It's hard to find films like this especially with queer Cinema. But this was such a great story and it was really well written. And the acting was very good and the way it was shot was beautiful. I was moved. Highly recommend for audiences seeking out good queer cinema.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

08/10/24

Full Review

Robson C

Max é um jovem de 25 anos, jornalista freelancer a aspirante a escritor, que está escrevendo um romance sobre profissionais do sexo na era digital. Para isso, ele cria uma nova identidade, Sebastian, e oferece seus serviços em sites e aplicativos de relacionamento. Aos poucos, esta vida dupla ameaça tanto sua vida profissional quanto a criada para Sebastian. Max, quando na pele de Sebastian, é um misto de vergonha, sedução, excitação e medo, ao adentrar a vida de um profissional do sexo. E Max não consegue separar estes dois lados da sua vida, o que vai o prejudicando profissionalmente dos dois lados: atrasando entregas na revista onde trabalha ou para a editora do seu livro ou o medo de encontrar com algum cliente enquanto está como Max, E ele vai se viciando em seu lado Sebastian: além do dinheiro que ganha, está o tesão e as aventuras que surgem, onde rola muito sexo, drogas e álcool. O protagonista, Ruaridh Mollica, faz um excelente trabalho como Max e a dualidade que o seu personagem está passando. Como Max, ele não consegue marcar um encontro com um garoto de programa. Como Sebastian, ele recebe propostas para viagens ao exterior. Talvez um ponto falho no roteiro seja não apresentar o lado negativo da vida de um garoto de programa, que só acontece quase no final do filme. Pode ser que haja profissionais do sexo, tanto homens quanto mulheres, que nunca passaram por perrengue nenhum, mas acaba soando que essa é uma profissão tranquila, o que não é verdade.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/13/25

Full Review

Michael S

Wasn’t sure about the movie at first, but the riveting performance of Mollica was brilliant. Did not know this actor and see quite a future for him. His solemn and introspective battle with the “research” was heart-wrenching. A definite must-see movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/03/25

Full Review

Richard F

A very moving take on the love connections made by a rent boy, Sebastian, who brings a good heart to his second income. It's both moving and it also moves. Quite an eye opener. Reminds me of a friend long ago who used to hustle in the 60s. He protested, "Hustlers get a bad rap. They provide a closeness people need and can't get anywhere else."

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/21/25

Full Review

Alec B

Its a suprising movie, mostly because you don't initially expect this seemingly inscrutable young man to have any depth of feeling. It becomes clear though that what he's looking for is a kind of tangible validation beyond his work and beyond the novel he's writing

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/18/24

Full Review

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Mikko Mäkelä

Director

Ruaridh Mollica

Max

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Amna

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Sebastian: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Max (Ruaridh Mollica) is a 25-year-old aspiring novelist, living in London and paying his dues working at a literary magazine. Frustrated by his own ambitions and the pressures to succeed, Max begins moonlighting as a sex worker with the pseudonym Sebastian, secretly meeting men via an escorting platform and using his experiences to fuel his stories. What begins as a few furtive meetings soon becomes a hidden nocturnal life, and the debut novel that he has been longing to write finally seems within reach. Finding himself more comfortable as Sebastian than expected, yet determined to keep his exploits a secret, Max increasingly struggles to remain in control of a delicately balanced double-life. As he confronts conflicting feelings of ecstasy, shame, and exhilarating liberation, Max has to reckon with whether Sebastian is merely a writer's tool to achieve first-hand authenticity -- or whether something more is at stake.

Director: Mikko Mäkelä
Producer: James Robert Benjamin Watson
Screenwriter: Mikko Mäkelä
Distributor: Kino Lorber
Production Co: Lemming Film België, Finnish Impact Film Fund, Helsinki Filmi Oy, Good Chaos, Barry Crerar, Bêtes Sauvages
Genre: Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 2, 2024, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 1, 2024
Box Office (Gross USA): $64.5K
Runtime: 1h 50m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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