Aarcflick

"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...