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      Elliott (Maisy Stella) gets high while on a camping trip with her friends, Ruthie (Maddie Ziegler) and Ro (Kerrice Brooks when, suddenly, her 39-year-old future self appears before her in My Old Ass. Writer/director Megan Park has an interesting premise that sounds like it could be fun, imaginative, unconventional and provocative. Instead, it squanders that opportunity because it goes through the safe, conventional route by focusing too much on Elliott's crush on a guy named Chad (Percy Hynes White). Her future self warns her about him, but doesn't tell her why, but she can't resist flirting with him. She barely interacts with her future self, though, and when they do talk, it's not a very deep conversation because the screenplay tries too hard to be witty. More scenes with her and her mother (Maria Dizzia) would've also added more substance to the film. Unfortunately, Aubrey Plaza is wasted in a role that deserves to be bigger and better written. Maisy Stella gives a heartfelt performance, but it doesn't compensate for the contrived and undercooked screenplay. At a running time of 1 hour and 29 minutes, My Old Ass opens on September 13th, 2024 in select theaters via MGM Amazon Studios. It would be an interesting double feature with Disney's The Kid. ![]() ![]()
      In Sebastian, Max (Ruaridh Mollica), a young man, works as a freelancer for a magazine and writes his first book about sex work in the digital age. He leads a double life as a sex worker to help with his research for the book. The screenplay by writer/director Mikko Mäkelä is a tender, provocative and honest character study. When he's doing sex work, Max uses a pseudonym, Sebastian, which is also the title of his secretly autobiographical book. Mäkelä does shy away from unflinching sex scenes which enhance the film's realism. Most importantly, though, Sebastian isn't really about sex just like Blue is the Warmest Color isn't about sex either. It's fundamentally about someone who's in the process of discovering themselves. Max comes across as insecure and emotionally distant at first, but that begins to change when he bonds with one of his clients, Nicholas (Jonathan Hyde), an elderly man, who becomes like a compassionate father figure to him. Their scenes together are among the film's most powerful, revealing and poignant moments.
      Will Max be able to continue to hide his double life? What might happen if his secret gets exposed? Those questions add a little suspense to Sebastian, but the plot avoids going into the thriller route or veering into very dark territory. To be fair, the last 10 minutes drag a little and the ending feels a little rushed and contrived. Those are minor, systematic issues, though. The film remains engrossing thanks to the wonderful performances, especially by Ruaridh Mollica who manages to portray Max's strengths and vulnerabilities very convincingly. Kudos to writer/director Mikko Mäkelä for seeing and treating Max as a complex human being and also to Ruaridh Mollica for opening that window widely. At a running time of 1 hour and 50 minutes, Sebastian opens on August 2nd, 2024 at IFC Center via Kino Lorber. ![]() ______________________________________________________ |