"Bodybuilders can't have scars," says Killian Maddox in Writer-Director Elijah Bynum's Magazine Dreams. Killian's body certainly looks flawless, even though he continues to improve things he believes to be imperfections: He's been told his deltoids are too small and no matter how hard he tries, he can't build more muscle in his legs. But Killian has many scars inside, hurts from his past that he tries to put aside, frustrations at not being able to connect with other people, and a focus on improving himself to a point that could be his undoing.
Killian wants to be remembered, ideally as a bodybuilder who can grace a magazine cover and win world championships. But mostly, he just wants to not feel invisible. He wants to leave his mark on this world. While the other bodybuilders at the competitions look easygoing as they clench and pop every muscle in their toned bodies, it looks like Killian is pushing himself as hard as humanly possible: he'll flex and fight with every ounce of muscle he has to make his core shine. attention. on him, however, no matter how hard he tries, he never does.
Director: Elijah Bynum
Writer: Elijah Bynum
Stars: Jonathan Majors, Harrison Page, Harriet Sansom Harris
Watching Magazine Dreams, it's hard not to feel like Killian: tense and struggling with every move. Magazine Dreams is two hours of grueling intensity, the kind of exhaustion from watching a person self-destruct that hasn't been seen since Uncut Gems. Killian is an easy character to sympathize with, a lonely man who just wants a little attention, but Bynum continually pushes the audience to stay on his side, seeing how hard he can test their loyalty, he digs deeper. in his burrow. And what a rabbit hole it is. What begins as a character test quickly turns into scene after scene of Killian's life taking a turn for the worse. Even when you think this character has hit rock bottom, Bynum laughs in your face and shows the audience a new level below that Killan is now groping for.
Majors gives an incredible performance here, easily the best example yet in his filmography that he is a tremendous talent to be reckoned with. This is essentially Majors' chance to take on a Travis Bickle-esque character, and he relishes the opportunity. Majors is giving every part of himself in this role, from his sculpted body to what must have been remarkable mental exhaustion, and audiences can inherently feel how much he's giving in every scene.
While there's rarely a moment when Majors isn't the focus of Magazine Dreams, the great characters he meets throughout this journey of destruction emphasize the sadness and pain within Killian. Haley Bennett only has a few scenes with Majors, but with one scene in particular, she shows through her gestures how quickly someone can go from siding with Killian to knowing that she needs to get away from him. Similarly, Taylour Paige, who also appears only in a few scenes, highlights how Killian is really just a scared kid on the inside, wanting the love he's been missing for so long.
This is also an awesome movie to watch as Bynum is working with cinematographer Adam Arkapaw, who brings out the darkness in Killian's world, but also makes the audience understand the beauty and power of bodybuilding and one's own body. human. The lighting here is stark and uncomfortable, only adding to the pain of Killian's story.
The biggest problem in Magazine Dreams, though, is how Bynum dissects Killian's very clear mental health issues. We first meet Killian at a therapist, who asks her to explore his anger, as he has migraines, has nightmares, and hears voices. He recently got himself in trouble for saying that he would split someone's head off and drink their brains. So clearly there are some problems that he needs to solve. Even though the therapist is a helping hand that he wants to help, he ignores any attempts to help from her and others. Bynum's overarching theme seems to be that we all need to be nicer and help out where we can, but his narrative here also shows that that's not all it takes. Several characters try to help Killian, but he's an understandably hard character to be around, given his situation.
Which also means that, at times, he feels like Bynum is testing the limits of a person with mental health issues that need to be addressed, which is certainly a problem. Bynum shows that there must be better mental health services for those who need them, and also shows how someone in need of help could follow this dangerous and terrifying path that Killian walks.
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