‘Sebastian’ Movie Review [Sundance 2024]: Mikko Mäkelä’s Unsubtle Sex Work Drama Finds Intriguing Commentary
Photo from the Sundance Institute
From Jeff Nelson
The industry of sex work continues to transform at the will of digital technologies, taking on new connotations and practices. Mikko Mäkelä’s Sebastian lands striking commentary on many dualities of sex work, as well as the deconstruction of tropes within LGBTQ storytelling. It’s far from subtle, but the themes at work lead the mind to intriguing places.
Max (Ruaridh Mollica) is a 25-year-old aspiring writer living in London. He works as a freelancer for a magazine to pay the bills and gain writing credits, while he continues to work on the short stories that he’s become known for. However, Max’s passions rest in his debut novel about a sex worker’s experiences, which he’s secretly writing from his own personal firsthand encounters working in the trade under the name Sebastian.
Mäkelä’s screenplay splits Max’s life into two parts, clearly delineated by the name change from Max to Sebastian, utilizing a Rentboy.com-esque platform to meet with clients primarily composed of older men. He’s not particularly comfortable in his skin, as his gaze in the gym and other profiles compare his body to those around him. Sebastian is a relatively new identity, as Max continues to push himself out of his comfort zone through his sessions with clients.
Sebastian emphasizes the validity of sex work, while continuing to highlight potentially dangerous situations that come with performing that line of work. We’ve seen this story unfold countless times in other films, but where Mäkelä’s work shines is in Max’s relationship to the work. He speaks on sex workers who are proud of their work and perceive it as a reclamation of power, but he taps into feelings of shame, writing in the third person to further separate himself from the sexual experiences that distress him. Yet, Max also gets a rush from the pursuit of knowledge in the form of lustful acts that begin to take priority over other aspects of his life.
The real Max exists somewhere in between his public-facing persona and Sebastian, as he seeks to discover what grand statement he wants to make with his debut novel. He yearns for some greater message, one that defines him beyond his current place in life. The route is a predictable one, but Mäkelä earnestly navigates the gap between generations of gay men with vastly different understandings of and experiences with love and their sexuality.
Mollica is terrific as Max, capturing the character’s deep-rooted insecurities and reclamation of his life. Mäkelä’s sexual frankess is much appreciated, bolstering the lead character’s journey. His perception and definition of sex changes over the course of his experiences, ranging from sensual to discomforting. Mäkelä doesn’t shy away from putting sexuality front and center, allowing these scenes to act as natural as any dialogue-based exposition.
Sebastian is a defiantly sincere and unapologetically potent expedition in overcoming shame and stigma. It’s heavy-handed in its meta handling of its themes, openly discussed in regards to Max’s book, which is essentially the film itself. As a result, the themes are spoken out loud, rather than allowing viewers to come to conclusions themselves. Mäkelä walks the line of the story’s tropes with mixed results. Nevertheless, he instills a surprising tenderness and sympathy that feels like a refreshing breath of fresh air when the screenplay is operating at its best.
Rating: 3/5
Sebastian played at Sundance 2024 on January 21st, 2024.
