In this queer drama, we follow Max, a 25-year-old freelance writer and aspiring novelist who seems well on his way to success in London’s cultural spheres. Yet by night, he finds a different kind of exhilaration as a sex worker with the pseudonym Sebastian, meeting men via an escorting platform. Max uses his experiences as Sebastian to fuel his stories, and the worthy debut novel that he has been longing to write finally seems within reach. As Max increasingly struggles to remain in control of a delicately balanced double-life, he must reckon with whether Sebastian is merely a writer’s tool in their quest for the ultimate sense of first-hand authenticity – or whether something more is at stake.
Director Mikko Mäkelä
Screenplay Mikko Mäkelä
Producer James Watson
Cast Ruaridh Mollica, Ingvar Sigurdsson, Hiftu Quasem, Jonathan Hyde
Sales agent LevelK
UK distributor Peccadillo
North American distributor Kino Lorber
Credits summary A Bêtes Sauvages production, supported by BFI, Screen Scotland, Finnish Film Foundation, Finnish Impact Film Fund, Great Point Media, BNP Film Finance and the Belgian Tax Shelter
Festival highlights BFI London Film Festival