Sebastian (2024 film)

Sebastian
Directed byMikko Mäkelä
Written byMikko Mäkelä
Produced byJames Robert Benjamin Watson
CinematographyIikka Salminen
Edited byArttu Salmi
Music byIlari Heinilä
Production
companies
Distributed byLevelK
Release date
  • 21 January 2024 (2024-01-21) (Sundance)
[1]
Running time
110 minutes
Countries
  • United Kingdom
  • Finland
  • Belgium
LanguageEnglish
Box office$65,636[2][3]

Sebastian is a 2024 international co-production film written and directed by Mikko Mäkelä.

Premise

Max, an aspiring young writer in London, begins living a double life as a sex worker in order to research his debut novel.

Cast

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.[4] 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.[5]

Principal photography took place in London, Glasgow, and Brussels, with post-production in London, Antwerp and Helsinki.[5]

Release

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.[6] In February 2024, it was announced that the film had been acquired by Kino Lorber for North America, with a theatrical release to be announced.[7]

Reception

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."[8] 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.[9]

References

  1. ^ "Sebastian". 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Sebastian (2024) – Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  3. ^ "Sebastian". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  4. ^ Balaga, Marta (19 January 2024). "'Sebastian' Director Mikko Makela on Providing a 'Frank and Honest' Portrayal of Queer Sexuality in Sundance Pick (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Sebastian by Mikko Mäkelä to premiere in Sundance". Finnish Film Foundation. 7 December 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  6. ^ "LevelK boards UK title 'Sebastian' ahead of Sundance premiere". LevelK. 15 January 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  7. ^ "Sundance Queer Drama 'Sebastian' Finds U.S. and International Distribution (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. 27 February 2024. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  8. ^ "Sebastian". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
  9. ^ "Sebastian". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 4 September 2024.