In September, we had the pleasure of attending the press screening of Sebastian, the latest work by Finnish-British writer and director Mikko Mäkelä. Invited by September Film Distribution, the leading arthouse distributor in the Benelux, the screening was part of broader programme at Cinema Palace in Brussels. Our Programme Assistant, Joséphine Gram, shares her reflections in the blog post below.
Sebastian is a quietly radical film that’s not interested in easy answers. It centres queer experiences in a way that feels both authentic and refreshing, acknowledging that our lives and stories are messy, complicated, and worthy of attention.
Joséphine’s review of Sebastian (2024)
“Let me start by saying I’m by no means a film connoisseur, but when I was offered to go see Mikko Mäkelä’s new film Sebastian in the middle of a Tuesday, it would quite honestly have been against my nature to refuse. And I was not disappointed.
In many ways Sebastian isn’t just a film – it’s a reclamation. Mäkelä has crafted something beautifully messy, unapologetically queer, and unafraid to dig into the intersections of identity, sex work, and artistic authenticity. It’s not a neat narrative with clean lines and easy takeaways. Instead it challenges you to look deeper, even when you’re not sure you want to. And that’s exactly why it works.
The story follows Max (beautifully played by Ruaridh Mollica), a young Scottish writer in London who starts doing sex work, initially to inspire his next novel. But here’s where Sebastian breaks away from tired clichés: it doesn’t reduce sex work to something inherently degrading or the tragic last stop for someone in crisis. Instead, it treats it as a form of agency, autonomy, and a complicated means of expression, especially for queer folks who’ve been historically denied power over their own narratives. Max isn’t some victim of circumstance, he’s actively crafting his identity through both art and sex work, two realms that, for him, are deeply intertwined.
There’s something so raw and relatable in Max’s journey, particularly if you’ve ever felt caught between multiple worlds, balancing who you are with who you’re expected to be. His struggle is as much about being seen as it is about being heard, and Sebastian does a brilliant job of showing how marginalised communities have to navigate these spaces that refuse to fully accept them. Max is trying to live authentically in an industry (both literary and sexual) that constantly polices identity. That internal tug-of-war between pleasing the people around you and honouring the person you are is a narrative I’m sure many of us can relate to. Mäkelä gets it, and that’s what makes the film so compelling. It doesn’t shy away from these difficult conversations; it embraces them.
Mäkelä isn’t just talking about being queer, or being a sex worker, or being an artist – he’s showing us how all these identities can interact and shape each other. Max’s identity is constantly bumping up against societal norms about masculinity, art, and sexuality.
The pacing of the film can be slow at times, but it’s intentional—inviting you to sit with the discomfort, to linger in the spaces between words, much like Max himself.
Sebastian is a quietly radical film that’s not interested in easy answers. It centres queer experiences in a way that feels both authentic and refreshing, acknowledging that our lives and stories are messy, complicated, and worthy of attention. It’s not perfect, but it’s a film that stayed with me after the credits rolled, much like the real, often uncomfortable, but beautiful process of figuring out who you are and who you want to be.
Go see it, in the middle of a Tuesday, or any other day really.
Thank you to September Film for organising the screening.”
Sebastian hit cinemas across Belgium on 27.11.2024. We’re giving away 5 pairs of tickets to see the film at a cinema of your choice! Keep an eye on our Instagram next week for your chance to win!
Content warning: Contains nudity, sexual scenes and drug use.
Mikko Mäkelä
Mikko Mäkelä is a Finnish-British writer/director based in London, named by IndieWire as an LGBTQ Filmmaker on the Rise. Their microbudget feature A Moment in the Reeds screened at almost 100 festivals worldwide, including BFI London FF, Göteborg FF, Seattle IFF and was nominated for best debut feature at Frameline, also earning nominations at both the BIFAs and Finnish Jussi Awards. Mikko’s second feature Sebastian had it’s World Premiere at Sundance in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. Mikko is an alumnus of Berlinale Talents as well as the inaugural BIFA Springboard Programme sponsored by Netflix. He is the co-founder of Bêtes Sauvages and also produces alongside partner James Watson.