Sebastian (2017 film)

Last updated
Sebastian
Directed byJames Fanizza
Written byJames Fanizza
Produced byJames Fanizza
Brendan Whelton
StarringJames Fanizza
Guifré Bantjes-Rafols
Alex House
Brian McCook
CinematographyKalen Artinian
Release date
May 2017 (Inside Out)
Running time
80 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

Sebastian is a Canadian romantic drama film, which premiered at the Inside Out Film and Video Festival in May 2017. [1] The feature directorial debut of James Fanizza, the film is an expansion of the 2014 short film of the same name, which was written by Fanizza but directed by Ricky Bryant. [2]

Contents

The film centres on Alex (Fanizza), a man in Toronto whose unfulfilling relationship with his boyfriend Nelson (Guifré Bantjes-Rafols) is complicated when he meets and falls for Sebastian (Alex House), Nelson's visiting cousin from Argentina. [3] The film's cast also includes Brian McCook, better known as drag entertainer Katya Zamolodchikova, as Xenia.

Critical response

Writing for Toronto Film Scene magazine, William Brownridge described the film as a relatively typical and predictable romantic drama, but praised the film for depicting well-rounded gay characters: "you may know where Sebastian is headed, but that doesn’t take away from the touching journey to get you there." [4]

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References

  1. "The success of queer movies is 'a little earthquake' in the film world — and this festival proves it". CBC News, May 25, 2017.
  2. "5 Short Films You Should See at Frameline". IndieWire , June 16, 2015.
  3. "Five queer films you don’t want to miss at Toronto’s Inside Out 2017". Daily Xtra , May 24, 2017.
  4. "INSIDE OUT 2017 REVIEW: SEBASTIAN". Toronto Film Scene, May 25, 2017.