sebastian movie review and rating

Supported by

‘Sebastian’ Review: Sex Speaks Louder Than Words

For inspiration, a writer moonlights as an escort in this drama from Mikko Makela.

Share full article

An older man with a beard lies in bed with his hand on a younger man.

By Chris Azzopardi

While sex drives “Sebastian,” the movie is stuck in foreplay mode. It follows Max (Ruaridh Mollica), a freelance writer, on a journey toward empowerment. Sex is the impetus for the book Max believes, at just 25, he’s getting too old to write. And so, for literary inspiration, he has more sex himself. Older men enjoy his company. And what’s a coming-of-age tale without an orgy?

Then he ponders a question: Should this be a novel or a memoir? This central dilemma, probed by the writer-director Mikko Makela, comes down to authenticity, as Max grapples with his relationship to his sexuality while navigating a double life as an escort (who goes by Sebastian) in London. Mollica effectively captures Max’s wariness, as if he bears the weight of generations of sexual shame. As a sketch of a person, you may understand him if you’ve been him.

But Makela places significant reliance on his audience to grasp the character’s background, including a long history of stigma about gay sexuality and prostitution. It’s admirable how “Sebastian” combats the lack of genuinely erotic depictions of queer sex throughout cinema history by ramping up its sex quotient, but the film chases its own tail, resulting in a foreseeable transformation that has the emotional resonance of an after-school special. Only when Max finds companionship with a retired professor, Nicholas (Jonathan Hyde, whose dignified role brings depth to a film lacking it), does the young writer come into clearer focus. Mostly, though, “Sebastian” is like seeing what Max sees on the gay hookup app he uses: a faceless picture.

Sebastian Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 50 minutes. In theaters.

Explore More in TV and Movies

Not sure what to watch next we can help..

A Tearful Talk : Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, the stars of the new movie “Wicked,” reflected on their long ride together , getting through Covid and the actors’ strike, and avoiding “playing to the green.”

Capturing America : As the wildly popular TV western “Yellowstone” prepares to air its final episodes, we look at four ways it seized the country’s attention .

Recreating War-Torn London : “Blitz,” Steve McQueen’s latest film, set in 1940 during Germany’s bombardment of the British capital, draws extensively from wartime photos .

Streaming Guides: If you are overwhelmed by the endless options, don’t despair — we put together the best offerings on Netflix , Max , Disney+ , Amazon Prime and Hulu to make choosing your next binge a little easier.

Watching Newsletter: Sign up to get recommendations on the best films and TV shows to stream and watch, delivered to your inbox.

We sent an email to [email protected]

Didn't you get the email?

By joining, you agree to the Terms and Policies and Privacy Policy and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

User 8 or more characters with a number and a lowercase letter. No spaces.

username@email

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

Upcoming Movies and TV shows
Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

About Rotten Tomatoes®
Login/signup

Movies in theaters

Opening This Week
Top Box Office
Coming Soon to Theaters
Certified Fresh Movies

Movies at Home

Fandango at Home
Prime Video
Most Popular Streaming Movies
What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

81% Emilia Pérez Link to Emilia Pérez
95% A Real Pain Link to A Real Pain
100% All We Imagine as Light Link to All We Imagine as Light

New TV Tonight

92% Say Nothing: Season 1
91% Silo: Season 2
81% The Day of the Jackal: Season 1
88% St. Denis Medical: Season 1
78% Bad Sisters: Season 2
84% Yellowstone: Season 5
84% Cobra Kai: Season 6
74% Cross: Season 1
73% The Creep Tapes: Season 1
-- It's All Country: Season 1

Sebastian Reviews

Sebastian is a movie with a lot of promise that seems to focus on the wrong moments. There is an excellent short film hidden within the confines of a wandering narrative.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Nov 11, 2024

In the end, “Sebastian” satisfies as a character study, and as a journey of self-acceptance, largely thanks to a charismatic, layered, thoroughly authentic performance from Mollica.

Full Review | Nov 6, 2024

Sebastian' is an ultimately absorbing and a little disturbing film; it makes you root for a character whose ambitions overpower his common human sense.

Full Review | Original Score: 75/100 | Oct 27, 2024

With its keen, sensual eye, “Sebastian” makes its portrait of an artist as a young sex worker brim with pained authenticity about how fleeting and seemingly transactional intimacies remain rife sites of exploration for queer writers.

Full Review | Aug 12, 2024

Ruaridh Mollica is tremendous as Max and even more compelling as Sebastian, and it’s all in the way he holds or breaks eye contact.

Full Review | Aug 11, 2024

British character actor Jonathan Hyde is understated and dignified as the editor who gets past Max's defenses, while relative newcomer Ruaridh Mollica lets you see every chink in Max's armor just before a piece of that armor falls away.

Full Review | Aug 9, 2024

I quite liked the director’s 2017 prior feature A Moment in the Reeds, a raw, deeply felt gay romance between a Finnish youth and a Syrian refugee. This English-language followup is much more polished, but feels titillating in familiar ways.

Full Review | Aug 7, 2024

Finnish filmmaker Mikko Makela finds layers of meaning, frankly exploring a range of moral questions. And while a couple of big plot points feel somewhat jarring and even distracting, the drama itself is internalised and gripping.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Aug 6, 2024

Unfortunately, Sebastian can’t quite seem to get past its own basic set up to deliver something exceptional, making this movie just another addition to an already overflowing genre.

Full Review | Aug 6, 2024

Despite the film’s confident naturalism, it seems less intimate as it goes on, with Max somehow growing more distant and generic as he becomes more comfortable in his own skin.

Full Review | Aug 5, 2024

... mostly avoids shallow cliches, offering a compelling portrait of identity and acceptance.

Full Review | Aug 2, 2024

For all its gloomy aesthetic, there is something life-affirming about the kindness of a stranger who wants to read your work and the power that comes with owning one’s own words and stories.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Aug 2, 2024

In the age of confessional songwriting and autofiction, autobiography has become the presumed default... given what's put to screen here, it's hard to imagine Mäkelä being familiar with this subject matter through anything other than second-hand accounts.

Director Mäkelä’s film about the digital hustler is frustratingly mixed with original ideas and genre stereotypes.

Full Review | Original Score: C | Aug 2, 2024

Sebastian isn't afraid to take a critical look at its protagonist and his decisions to find what makes him tick...

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Aug 2, 2024

The film chases its own tail, resulting in a foreseeable transformation that has the emotional resonance of an after-school special.

Full Review | Aug 1, 2024

Sebastian plays like a rejected article from The Cut, where a tired-eyed twink rejects all self-awareness in pursuit of literary glory.

Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/10 | Jul 31, 2024

The film can’t help but lean into expected tropes, and its unceasingly morose tone leads to some unfortunate thematic implications.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/10 | Jul 29, 2024

While Sebastian appears to have no confidence in its own script, rarely is queer sex work shown like this and never as internally complicated

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 29, 2024

Tender, provocative and honest.

Full Review | Jul 29, 2024

Cast & crew
User reviews

Max, a 25-year-old aspiring writer living in London, begins a double life as a sex worker in order to research his debut novel. Max, a 25-year-old aspiring writer living in London, begins a double life as a sex worker in order to research his debut novel. Max, a 25-year-old aspiring writer living in London, begins a double life as a sex worker in order to research his debut novel.

Mikko Mäkelä
Ruaridh Mollica
Hiftu Quasem
Jonathan Hyde
11 User reviews
29 Critic reviews
53 Metascore
3 nominations

Top cast 51

Max Williamson

Nicholas D'Avray

Daniel Larson

All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

More like this

Did you know

Connections Features To Our Loves (1983)

User reviews 11

A young writer.

Kirpianuscus
Oct 8, 2024
October 25, 2024 (Finland)
United Kingdom
British Film Institute (BFI)
Screen Scotland
Great Point Media
See more company credits at IMDbPro
Aug 4, 2024
Runtime 1 hour 50 minutes

More to explore

Screen Rant

Sebastian review: queer drama blurs fact & fiction as a writer leads a double life.

Your changes have been saved

Email is sent

Email has already been sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

7 Exciting 2024 Movies With LGBTQ+ Representation

Classic sci-fi movie being rebooted by legendary comic book writer 68 years after release, ridley scott planning to resurrect $59m epic historical movie with 4-hour version.

Ruaridh Mollica in Sebastian.

In Sebastian, Max leads a double life as a writing student and a sex worker, using his experiences for material.
The film explores the themes of identity, intimacy, and shame in the context of Max's dual existence.
Sebastian is equally critical of the literary world and highlights the blurred lines between fiction and reality.

Director Mikko Mäkelä's second feature, Sebastian , is a piercing, explicit, and oftentimes sexy study of one 25-year-old's search for identity in a world that has discouraged him from accepting all of himself unabashedly. In the shimmery, rain-soaked streets of London, Max is living a double life. During the day, he's a writing student freelancing for a prominent culture magazine, bullish in the way only good writers are. At night, Max goes by the name Sebastian on the escort site Dreamy Boys, visiting clients to earn some extra cash.

Sebastian is a 2024 drama film written and directed by Mikko Makela that debuted at the Sundance Film Festival. The film follows a young writer working on his first original novel while living in London but decides to delve into the world of sex work under a new name to explore his subject material further.

Sebastian properly highlights the world of fiction and reality
The film is infused with depth and emotion
Sebastian is a great exploration of queer intimacy

Max uses these experiences as a sex worker as material for his writing, presenting his encounters as fiction to his agent and fellow writers. Soon, though, the lines between Max and Sebastian, reality and fantasy, fiction and non-fiction begin to blur. The entire movie hinges on Rauridh Mollica's searing performance as Max. The actor splits himself in two: Max is confident to a fault, bucking against his agent's notes when they don't align with the vision for his debut novel, but disregarding his friend's work when they ask for feedback.

Sebastian, on the other hand, is green. It's hard to tell at first, but it quickly becomes clear that he's new to sex work — his confidence only comes when it's clear how much a client is invested in him. Only then can he feel comfortable stripping down and bearing it all.

As the world continues to see plenty of LGBTQ+ themed films, it proves that representation is more important than ever, with even more coming in 2024.

Sebastian Is An Unflinching Examination Of Queer Intimacy

Max hides behind the facade of fiction, exploring Sebastian's exploits openly in his writing workshops. When asked by his classmates and friends how his portrayal of sex work is so real, Max cites research and interviews. This disassociation is for various reasons — Max doesn't want his side job to affect his chances of becoming a notable writer, but there is a layer of shame that lingers, too. Even with his closest friend, he shies away from discussions of sex and, when he meets a boy at a club, he makes sure his friend is occupied before initiating contact.

Like Max himself, though, Sebastian takes many forms and its sweetest may be in its depiction of a relationship between Max and one of his clients, played by Jonathan Hyde.

Any attempts at intimacy by peers — whether friends or lovers — are rebuked. It's only when the intimacy is transactional that Max can open himself up. Sebastian 's depiction of modern sex work is never exploitative, even as it leaves room for Max to have complicated feelings about it. Like Max himself, though, Sebastian takes many forms and its sweetest may be in its depiction of a relationship between Max and one of his clients (Jonathan Hyde). It's through this connection that Max reckons with his need to keep both identities separate, and his desires for love and validation.

Sebastian Is Just As Incisive About The Literary World As It Is About Max's Sex Life

Sebastian is just as concerned about the literary world as it is about Max's personal life, and it's just as cutting in its depiction. Early on, Max is slated to interview Bret Easton Ellis, an author known for blurring fiction and autobiography. The reference is on the nose, but it works. As Max continues his sex work, the line between his two realities shifts. How much of his writing influences his behavior, and how much does his behavior change his story? It's a tricky tightrope to walk, one that ends in an encounter that leaves Max in another country.

It's this experience that forces Max to come to terms with the double life he's been living and, thanks to Mollica, every moment is infused with heart-wrenching emotion. The search for intimacy in today's digital landscape often feels laborious, if not downright humiliating. Combine that with the self-consciousness of a writer, the anonymity of a big city, and the weight of navigating queerness as a young person, and it's a bit of a mess. That mess can often lead to beauty and that's exactly what happens in Sebastian , with a stirring finish that won't be easily forgotten.

Sebastian premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival in the World Dramatic Competition section.

4 star movies

IMAGES

Sebastian PC524 Movie Review and Rating!
Sebastian PC524 Telugu Movie Review with Rating
Sebastian PC 524 Movie Review
'Sebastian' Review
Sebastian PC 524 review. Sebastian PC 524 తెలుగు movie review, story
Sebastian Pictures

VIDEO

Sebastian Stan filming his portraits at the Sundance Film Festival. #sebastianstan
Kiran Abbavaram About Sebastian Movie Result
Sebastian Szymánski Re-Spin ⚽️🇵🇱 #respin #fifa #rating #wheelspin #youtubeshorts #szymanski