“Sebastian” – a romantic comedy based in Toronto, and featuring RuPaul’s Katya

SEBASTIAN is a uniquely modern story – exploring the search for love in an age of instant gratification, online hookups, and the yearning for connection in an age of convenience and superficiality. It paints a nuanced portrait of 20-something queerness; that perpetual feeling of having what you want at the tip of your fingers, but not being sure if you really want to grab it. Snapshot review below.

In this urban gay love story, sexy Argentinian hunk Sebastian (Alex House) arrives in Toronto on a one week visit and meets his cousin’s boyfriend, Alex (writer-director, James Fanizza). Instant attraction leads Alex to question his rocky relationship with his boyfriend. As he and Sebastian decide to explore their forbidden passion, they connect deep in emotion. Alex must confront his conflicted feelings for his boyfriend and Sebastian, as well as some surprising, long buried secrets from his past.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW

It’s always fun to watch a movie that was filmed in your city. Scanning the background for images that one might recognize. It’s even better when the city the film is shot in is actually the one where the story line is taking place, and not portrayed as some other city. Such is the case with Sebastian, with all the street scene shots of Toronto. There’s also a great indoor scene where the characters head out to a bar to see one of their friends performing drag (Katya). The bar is none other than west end queer hub, The Beaver.

Alex and Sebastian meet and immediately have an attraction to each other, but the issue of Alex having a boyfriend, who is Sebastian’s cousin, has to be dealt with first. When Alex says he no longer has feelings for his boyfriend, and the boyfriend is away on business, it’s the perfect time to explore other options outside the relationship. With Sebastian in the city for a short duration only, the long term commitment aspect is tossed aside for a more relaxed fling – or at least that’s how it appears things will be.

The story carries quite well with character development, including the oh-so-cool aunt of Sebastian who lives in Toronto. When (ex) boyfriend returns home to find his cousin and (ex) boyfriend in an uncompromising position, things don’t go well. However, with boyfriend issues now dealt with, this leaves Alex to ponder whether he’s cool with the single life, or has he accidentally fallen in love with Sebastian. Viewers won’t really know until the very end, as the boys say their goodbyes…or do they?

This intimate feature debut from filmmaker / actor James Fanizza features Brian “Katya” McCook from The Trixie and Katya Show & RuPaul’s Drag Race, Alex House, and acclaimed Mexican/South African actress-singer Amanda Martinez.

Watch the Trailer

2017 | Romantic Drama | 100 min | Canada | Color | English

Written & Directed by: James Fanizza

Starring: James Fanizza, Alex House, Brian “Katya” McCook,  Amanda Martinez

Distributed by: Wolfe

SEBASTIAN will be released February 6th worldwide via Wolfe on DVD & VOD and across all digital platforms including iTunes, Vimeo On Demand and WolfeOnDemand.com, and many major retailers.