Despite all the strides that have been made in queer cinema, it’s still exciting (and unexpected) to see a film about the experience of a gay man who recognizes that sex exists.
For Sebastian, sex, in fact, is the point.
The film, written and directed by Mikko Makela, set Park City’s snowbanks ablaze when it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January. (It’s now officially in theaters. ) It stars brooding newcomer Ruaridh Mollica as Max, a young aspiring homosexual living in London who earns extra money as an escort.
He presents himself on an escort site under the name of Sebastian, a tight ego that makes his sexual encounters with rarely older, deformed and rarely aggressive men more comfortable. Because it’s all a copy, Max uses his exploits as Sebastian as a curtain for a novel he’s writing, though he passes it off as fiction.
What they raise are desirable questions about sex and storytelling in the age of fashion. Max’s novel addresses the concept of shame and trauma similar to sex work, reflecting transformative attitudes in the age of Onlyfans. But as Max begins to invent juicier and more outrageous encounters to make the “Sebastian story” more compelling in his novel, the concepts of fact, fiction, and autobiography become blurred, as does Max’s perception of his own intellectual life. Bless you.
Then, with the onslaught of the film’s candid sex scenes, it’s necessary to watch it without wondering how its depiction of gay sex, in particular, can replace the industry and fuel conversations.
It’s a film that I love to present because there’s so much to say. (Plus, there’s a lot of cool stuff!) I interviewed Makela and Mollica at the film’s premiere at Sundance. Read our verbal exchange here.
Overall, I feel like the world could use a huge, calming, comforting “aww. ” Sometimes the Internet is good, and this week it caused an incredibly uplifting emotional crisis.
Remember the beginning of the pandemic, when we were all obsessed with the game show Supermarket Sweep from the 90s, after it was available to stream on Netflix?For me, and for many others, this obsession has never diminished.
Actor and pop culture enthusiast Tom Zohar posted a photo of Sweep contestants Tim and Mark on X with the caption: “I love watching old episodes of Supermarket Sweep because those two just said they’re ‘business partners. ‘ who ‘design sets for plays’. ‘And I say, oh, I’m sure of that.
Well, Tim tracked down Tom and informed him that he and Mark were more than business partners: they’ve been together for 41 years, 25 of them as husbands after same-sex marriage was legalized in 2008.
The sheer goodness of this heartwarming story only intensified when Slate’s Dan Kois interviewed Tim and Mark, learning their life story, and their love story, which comes to a twist where Mr. Night Shyamalan is said to be jealous. Read it here. (And when you’re done, read a similar interview here, Where Are They Now?I did with former Sweep contestants Brandon and Kevin. )
I had an unforgettable time watching Twisters, one of the worst videos I’ve ever seen.
Soon after, I had the time of my life watching Deadpool
It is an attractive phenomenon. In the old days, it was easy to dismiss the abominations of summer blockbusters that were so bad you didn’t care.
Now, and with those two films in particular, there’s a tension: they were undeniably fun to watch, even if they couldn’t escape the glaring fact that they were awful in every way, from plot to script. , in maximum cases, the script. performances. (Glen Powell and Channing Tatum, respectively: they are acquitted of this. )
On the one hand, when there are movies like these that everyone, including myself, is going to see no matter how smart they are, at least they’re enjoyable. On the other hand, what if a summer blockbuster was smart?We’ll keep you posted after watching M. Night Shyamalan’s trap this weekend.
As I continue to watch the Olympics, my total persona for next week, I’m encouraged by this clip from one of my favorite accounts on Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb’s fourth hour on Today: You guessed it, context.
In the clip, Kathie Lee and Hoda head to Rockefeller Plaza to talk about the 2012 Olympics with giant wine glasses raised in the air, as if they were Olympic torches. It’s perfect, precisely in the logo for them. . . and for me.
Trap: A win for Josh Hartnett is a win for all of us. (Now in theaters)
Hello: You have to love one that lives up to its name. (Now in theaters)
Patella: the answer to the question “What would happen if we did an Irish 8 Mile edition?”» (Now in theaters)
The Instigators: A star-studded film would be a failure. (Now in theaters)
Editor-in-Chief, Obsessed
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