Making Of (2023 | France | 114 minutes | Cédric Kahn)

We watch the slow destruction of a film through the lens of a local kid thrown a camera by the director to create the making of for, very possibly, his last film. It started out with money, a good script and talented cast. As the cameras rolled, the actors showed their true colors, the director’s personal life crumbles and the money dries out.

From the trailer, I had expected something a bumbling, funny and possibly ridiculous, and scathing view at the world of filmmaking. Instead I experienced a somewhat darkly funny, but mostly dramatic meta-view of a film falling apart. I should have expected the funny to be at a minimum, it is a French film… drama is their bread and butter. The acting was fantastic and the story arcs were focused on both the relationships within the sphere of the film as well as personal lives. It made each narrative richer. While my expectations were looking forward to a lighter, sillier view of a production, I can’t fault the film for that and in the end I was invested in every character they’d focused on.

Killing Romance (2023 | South Korea | 107 minute | Lee Won-suk)

Yeo-Rae became famous when she downed an entire bottle of soda in mere seconds and from there her celebrity knew no bounds. Taking advantage of the moment, she became a model, actress, spokesperson and anything else you could possibly do with fame, but it took a toll and she burned out. Needing respite she traveled to a remote island where she met Jonathan, a rich mogul and her soulmate. Leap forward some seven years later and she is absolutely miserable and ready to escape, but he won’t hear of it. Next door is a sweet, innocent, and stagnant young man, Bum-woo, who happens to be a huge fan and ready to help her leave Jonathan no matter what it takes.

I cannot tell you how much I wanted to love this movie. Korean entertainment is cherished in my house so when I saw an over-the-top comedy I was all over it. I wasn’t eager for the musical aspect, but sometimes that can add charm. Unfortunately, and it kills me to say this, but it fell so very flat. It started out fabulously with a heavy dose of Wes Anderson (or even more so Pushing Daisies-esque) styling. Bigger than life, bright colors and a storyteller keeping the plot line moving. However, as it moved forward, despite fabulous acting, the script was a bit too heavy on the camp (I can’t believe I’m saying that, but it’s true), the music aspect was gratuitous in most places and it could have been edited down a bit. That being said, I’m still thinking about all three protagonists performances, absolutely stellar. They pulled us into this preposterous world and made it believable (up to a point), and especially the late Sun-kyun Lee brought his A-game to a particularly difficult role where you were supposed to despise him but still sort found him charming. Despite my low opinion and star rating, I still think it’s worth seeing… maybe just not in the theater; I’ll probably see it again myself.

Sebastian (2024 | UK | 110 minutes | Mikko Mäkelä)

Max is a young writer on the brink of success, if he could only create a narrative that caught some attention. He’s had mild success with short stories but his publisher is chomping at the bit for a novel. The subject of his current work is an intimate view of male prostitution, which he has decided to submerse himself in personally in order to offer readers an understanding he couldn’t otherwise portray. As his world view begins to change, he finds intrigue, joy and even a form of love, but it begins to take a toll on his personal and professional life that may not be recoverable.

Like I mentioned in our Sunbreak roundtable post, I was impressed and affected by Ruaridh Mollica’s performance as Max in his first leading role. While it took about a third of the film to get there, I was immersed his performance and character. I connected with him in his desire to create an authentic piece of art, but also letting that desire push him to limits he should never have approached. The film itself was well-written (except for the ending honestly, which felt too clean and tied with a bow) and the entire cast brought the film to another level, especially Jonathan Hyde playing one of Max’s clients. I think without his performance I wouldn’t have enjoyed the film half as much. The chemistry between Mollica and Hyde was a balm to the raw and wounded heart the film had constructed up to that point. I had hoped there would be more talk about this film both in the critic community and fest-goers at large, but it wasn’t dynamic like I Saw the TV Glow or funny like Thelma so it may have gotten lost in the fray. I surely hope that it gets a wider release, it’s definitely worthy of one.