Cinema

Malin Barr Debuts at Sundance Film Festival with Sauna Sickness text Natalia Muntean What does it feel like to stop trusting your own instincts? In her Sundance debut, SAUNA SICKNESS, a psychological thriller peppered with dark humour, Swedish actor and director Malin Barr deconstructs the architecture of manipulation and gaslighting. Eschewing overt violence for a quieter emotional “erosion,” Barr examines how women are socialised to perceive control as care. “I became fascinated with that disorienting state, what it feels like to stop trusting your own instincts, and that’s when I knew it needed to be portrayed on film,” says Barr, reflecting on the psychological dissonance that drives the film’s narrative. Natalia Muntean: Sauna Sickness is inspired by a moment from your own past relationship. What made you realise this specific moment needed to become a film?Malin Barr: I never really felt that this specific moment needed to become a film. For a long time, while I was still in the relationship, it was just something I’d tell as a funny story to friends. It was only later, after I got out and started talking more honestly about what I’d experienced, that the realisation landed. It wasn’t funny at all. It was manipulative and unsettling. The dissonance I had lived with, how easily I smoothed over disturbing behaviour and lost my inner compass, was a survival mechanism. That realisation stayed with me. I became fascinated with that disorienting state, what it feels like to stop trusting your own instincts, and that’s when I knew it needed to be portrayed on film. The sauna and the cold outside felt essential to that. The hot-and-cold swings mirror a manipulative relationship and New Year’s carries that false sense of expectation, pressure and the promise of a new beginning. photography Martin Kiesslin assistant San G post production Jennifer Nyma all clothing Baum und Pferdgartenstockings Swedish Stockingsboots Malin’s Own NM: The film isn’t about overt violence, but about subtle emotional erosion. Why was it important for you to portray abuse in this quieter, more ambiguous way?MB: There were a few reasons. First, I believe personally rooted stories often make the most honest films – but for them to really land, they need to feel universal. It was also important to me that the behaviour didn’t feel too extreme. Subtle, quieter forms of abuse are something people might recognise in some sense from their own lives, even if they haven’t named it that way. Portraying it this way invites the audience to lean in, rather than lean back in shock. It asks them to pay attention instead of distancing themselves by thinking “this isn’t about me.” Emotional erosion usually happens in the small moments – in tone, in denial, in what’s left unsaid. That ambiguity mirrors what it feels like to be inside it. For that same reason, I chose to layer in moments of darkly comedic absurdity. Humour is something we constantly use to cope, to smooth things over, to survive uncomfortable situations. It makes the film more relatable rather than relentlessly heavy, while also reflecting the absurdity and disorientation of not trusting your own perception. And it gives the audience small moments of relief! NM: Cleo repeatedly takes responsibility while Tobias deflects it. How intentional was that dynamic in shaping the audience’s understanding of control?MB: Very intentional. It was important to me that Cleo never reads as weak or passive. She’s extremely active, constantly trying to take responsibility, adjust, and find ways to make things work. When she pushes back and asks for clarity, that’s when Tobias switches tactics: moving from charm and avoidance to confusion, victimhood, and reframing. These are all ways to regain control. At the same time, Tobias’s refusal to ever take responsibility is deliberate. That kind of deflection is a classic control mechanism. By the third time this dynamic repeats, my hope is the audience recognises the pattern – and potentially comes to the same realisation as Cleo does. NM: The couple Cleo meets on the road feels almost surreal, and it seems to catalyse Cleo’s clarity. Why was it important that her realisation came from an external reflection rather than Tobias himself?MB: The meeting with the neighbours is experienced entirely from Cleo’s perspective –  it’s filtered through her perception of the world, her current emotional state and what she’s endured so far.  It was important that Cleo’s clarity came from an external reflection rather than Tobias himself because she’s too close to him – she’s normalised his behaviour and can’t fully recognise it. The neighbours act as a mirror: their boundary-pushing echoes Tobias’s – and their recognition that his behaviour isn’t “normal” gives Cleo the distance to have a crucial moment of insight. This becomes the first turning point where she can begin to see his patterns for what they truly are. NM: Leaving Tobias behind is not framed as revenge, but as clarity. Why was restraint important to that choice?MB: Because this isn’t a story of retaliation, it’s a story of self-preservation. Revenge wouldn’t get her anywhere, and even though I intentionally tease the idea with the axe in the snow, it’s ultimately not about him. By leaving the cabin, she removes herself from him and focuses on her safety – the only way she can truly reclaim her agency. NM: Do you see Cleo’s final act as an ending or as the beginning of something else?MB: I’d say that’s up to the audience to decide for themselves. We literally leave her at a crossroads.  NM: How has your background as an actor influenced the way you write and direct emotionally intimate scenes?MB: My acting background has absolutely shaped how I write and direct. I know what makes me feel equally supported and inspired as an actor and I try to bring that understanding to my work behind the camera. For emotionally intimate scenes, knowing what it’s like on the other side is invaluable. Creating a safe environment, respecting their boundaries and being clear about what the camera sees at all

photography & Dop Gustav Svante Larsson / XO.Studio fashion & text Lejla Plima set design Kiki McKenzie & Laila Franklin / Paradiso Studio photography assistant Carl Bengtssonassistant Teo Pourshahidi rental Falsett film lab Focus Film Lab studio Studio Perra 

The Sound of Falling: A Conversation on Inherited Pain with Mascha Schilinski text Natalia Muntean “Traumas exist. They don’t just dissolve. There’s this idea that if we are conscious and aware, everything disappears,” says Mascha Schilinski. “I don’t think so. It’s just life, and we have to deal with it.” Her second feature, Sound of Falling (In die Sonne schauen), premiered in Cannes and now screens at the Stockholm International Film Festival, where its quiet intensity lingers long after the credits. The German director traces a century of life on a rural farmstead, following four generations of women bound by the invisible weight of inherited pain. Shot in 4:3 and illuminated by natural light, the film unfolds less as a story than as a current of sensations, a tapestry of echoes and gestures that bridge time. Schilinski talks about the act of “listening to the film instead of making it listen to us” and the courage to create something unbound by plot, yet rooted in truth.  Natalia Muntean: I read that the idea for the movie started with a photograph from the 1920s?Mascha Schilinski: It started long before that. But the photograph was maybe the starting point in a visible sense. My co-writer, Louise Peter, and I wanted to lift invisible things into visibility. We wanted to talk about matters that are delicate, things that sit within our bodies and are transmitted from long before we were born. We found the large courtyard, the farmstead you saw in the film. It became like a vessel that could hold the story. During our stay there, we discovered an old snapshot – three women looking straight at us. It wasn’t staged; it was a moment captured. That photograph became a mirror. They were aware that they would pass, just as we will. That was the spark that began everything. NM: I also read that the film took nearly three years to write. How did you know when the story was ready? Did it change a lot during those years?MS: Three and a half, almost four years until we started shooting. For two years, we simply talked. Ten hours a day sometimes. We tried to understand why we felt uneasy, almost physically attacked by certain emotions. We realised that transgenerational trauma, pain passed from one generation to another, is a fact. At first, we thought we could construct a plot, but the film resisted it. It didn’t want a plot. We had to listen to the film instead of making it listen to us. We saw images within us, almost like hallucinations. They left echoes, and out of those echoes we began to weave, connecting them like repetitions that travel through generations. NM: The film doesn’t follow a traditional plot but feels like a series of sensations and images. Was that structure deliberate from the start?MS: Yes. I’m a visual thinker. For me, it’s like literature – you read something and something forms in your mind. That was the foundation. The film was limited in time and budget, so there was no room for rehearsals. Everyone had to understand the emotional world deeply. The script had to communicate the feeling, not the technical side. Filming took thirty-three days, so very short, especially with so many children in the cast. We could only shoot three hours a day with them, so it was extremely challenging. NM: The story spans four generations of women, and they seem to share an inner life. How did you approach this idea of inherited emotion or inherited pain? Do you see them as separate entities or parts of a whole consciousness?MS: We wanted to see what remains in the body, what fixates itself in the body over ten years or a hundred years. What are the soft, quiet vibrations inside a person? Where does something break, very quietly? How is shame created? We found in Greek texts that shame is where euphoria is broken. You feel euphoria when you are fully yourself, alive and strong, and someone breaks that. Something powerful happens inside you, but it becomes isolated. You can’t name it anymore, and it manifests in the body. We looked for moments when something like that becomes visible, when a phenomenon like that manifests physically through generations. NM: But this feeling or experience seems to be something all the women in the movie live with. They’re drawn to it. Do you see that as self-destruction or endurance? Or both? And do you think it passes down through generations?MS: It’s the question of what came first – the hen or the egg. Sometimes you walk through life, and something happens, and you think, “Why does this happen to me?” It doesn’t seem to belong to me. And sometimes you feel you are fighting a theme that belongs to another generation, one that couldn’t deal with it. It’s not the traumatic event itself that matters, but how you deal with it. When you are left alone, when nobody takes you seriously, that isolation provokes what happens afterwards. Traumas exist. They don’t just dissolve. There’s this modern idea that if we are conscious and aware, everything disappears. I don’t think so. It’s just life, and we have to deal with it. What’s hopeful in this film is that the women share pain; they are not isolated. Even though they feel alone, the film shows that there is a connection. Many of us want to separate from the generation before, saying, “I don’t want to be like my mother”  or even not have children to avoid passing things on. But if you look differently, you can also be thankful for how much new generations achieve. NM: Maybe freedom or relief comes from being allowed to talk about it?MS: Yes, it’s good when we can talk about it, but there will always be things that stay hidden. That’s part of being human. There isn’t one moment of relief for everyone. image courtesy Fabian Gamper NM: You spent quite a few years with

“Each season, I go closer to myself” – Laura Birn About Finding Humanity in Playing a Robot text Natalia Muntean cardigan Samsoe Samsoe underwear Sloggi stockings Swedish Stockings shoes Billi Bi timepiece Cartier blazer Tiger of Sweden  What first draws a person to a life of performing? For Laura Birn, the Finnish star of Apple TV+’s Foundation, it was a discovery of freedom and connection found far from home. “I moved to Brazil when I was 17 as an exchange student, where I met some theatre people,” she recounts. Though she barely spoke Portuguese, the community was inviting. “They let me be part of a play. At first, I was a mute girl because I didn’t speak the language well, but I fell in love with the group energy.” That same energy, found later in Finnish theatre, offered a thrilling sense of rebellion. “We’re a nation of obeying rules,” she says, “but in theatre, it was like, maybe you don’t always have to. It led me to this opening of a new world. I fell in love.” The journey to playing the silent, powerful android Demerzel on a global stage is a testament to that initial spark. During our photoshoot in Helsinki in mid-August, we traced the city’s architectural dialogue between stark minimalism and ornate history, a metaphor for Birn’s artistry – balancing the cold precision of a robot with the fiery, secret heart of a living being. Natalia Muntean: What’s your favourite thing about acting? Laura Birn: Being able to dive into different worlds and study different sides of myself. I’d be so bored just being me. I love that I have to pull different sides of me or let a character affect me, opening my mind to different views, seeing the world from a perspective someone else feeds me. It’s a privilege. It’s that adventure of entering a different world or seeing this world differently. Natalia Muntean: What’s your favourite thing about acting? Laura Birn: Being able to dive into different worlds and study different sides of myself. I’d be so bored just being me. I love that I have to pull different sides of me or let a character affect me, opening my mind to different views, seeing the world from a perspective someone else feeds me. It’s a privilege. It’s that adventure of entering a different world or seeing this world differently. No one’s mind is lazy. But your roots shape how you think. The way I was raised, I look at things from a certain perspective. So sometimes it’s explosive to think, “Oh, I never thought of this from that perspective,” or someone’s imagination has created a whole universe I get to be part of. It’s very special. NM: How do you choose your roles? LB: There are many ways. Sometimes it’s intuition about the people involved. Sometimes, if there’s an amazing script, there’s no question. But sometimes I’ve jumped into projects without a script because someone was passionate and interesting, and I wanted to see what world we would enter. Sometimes there are people I’ve worked with before, and I say yes even if they don’t tell me much about the project. For Foundation, I auditioned with a self-tape. My agent sent me the pages, and I called her, saying I didn’t understand a word. She read them too and didn’t understand. We kept trying to figure it out, but I knew there was something there. It felt intriguing and different, wild and weird, and I was interested. blazer Tiger of Sweden     NM: Demerzel is one of the series’ most complex characters, a robot with emotions. How did you prepare to play such a layered, non-human role? LB: It’s been a lovely puzzle. We started shooting season one just before the pandemic. We’d been shooting for a couple of months when lockdown happened. Then we took a break and continued. In the beginning, I didn’t have much information. I just had glimpses. We talked with David S. Goyer, the showrunner, who gave me little hints and taught me a new phrase, “slow burn.” He said, “Be patient, the secrets will start opening,” because I had many questions.  At first, Demerzel is very observant, holding back, not revealing much of her universe. Little by little, it’s been a joy because I now know so much more and can give more or hold back more. Her arc works well when you watch season three and then go back to season one; you see those little hints building her complexity. The writing is amazing and easy to lean on. Then there’s the mechanical, physical side; she’s held together, but her inner life is rich. Each season, I go closer to myself, asking questions like, “Who am I? How did I become me? How much are my choices really mine, or shaped by upbringing or society? Is there a ‘pure me’ inside?” I find the question of programming interesting. In a certain sense, we are all shaped by our parents, by society, and by the people close to us. In season three, she goes through an existential crisis, trying to understand her programming and place in this dynasty with the weird boys, her family, and what choices she’d make if not programmed. So many questions around identity and purpose or meaning, it was interesting and complex. I even noticed myself thinking, “Maybe it’s a midlife crisis for me, and for her, an 18,000-year crisis.” dress Victoria Chan pumps Flattered     NM: What’s your favourite thing about playing Demerzel, and what’s the most challenging? LB: I really love working with all the Cleons Lee, Terry, and Cassian, who’ve become close friends. We’ve been through a lot, including many incredible occasions and challenges, such as COVID-19 and the strikes. During COVID, we were in a bubble on an island, a tiny, weird family. From Demerzel’s side, I love the emotionally difficult scenes. It´s always intriguing to figure out how this human-like machine responds to unexpected events

Grounded In Fantasy, an Interview with Jordan Adene text Maya Avram photography Jason Jude sunglasses A. Society shirt and jacket Hugo Boss For someone who’s been on the scene as long as Jordan Adene, the young actor is refreshingly level-headed. Alongside high-profile appearances in hit shows like Doctor Who and The Sandman, he maintains a nine-to-five job, carves out time for family and friends and makes space to travel. It’s all intentional: Adene sees life itself as the richest source of inspiration for the characters he plays onscreen and the independent projects he’s developing. These experiences, he predicts, are stepping stones for him to eventually step behind the camera, sharing his sharp eye for human stories with the world. Maya Avram: You’ve hit impressive career milestones in the last few years, from starring in Dr Who to The Sandman. What was the journey like? Jordan Adene: When I started acting, I just wanted to enjoy and express myself freely. Now, being in productions like Dr Who and The Sandman is like a fever dream. I never, ever would have thought I’d be involved in projects of that calibre. Of course, I had ideas of what it’s going to be like, but when you arrive on set, it’s levels above what you can ever imagine. With Dr Who, the episode was set in Lagos, Nigeria, and had an almost entirely Black cast — that in itself is something I never thought I’d see, let alone be a part of. It was an amazing experience. MA: Did you feel the weight of the moment? JA: Of course, that’s always present. Whether it’s a big project like Dr Who or a short film, that pressure is always gonna be there. With Dr Who, because I was a big fan of Ncuti and everyone else, it definitely amped up the pressure to perform. But at the same time, like I said, it’s motivating. I learned a lot on that shoot, and that environment motivated me to become a better actor. It only added to my performance. MA: What has that experience taught you, and how will that learning impact your future roles? JA: As a young actor, I used to focus more on what the director wanted, taking in every note and doing exactly what they told me. But as a grown-up, I recognise the importance of having my own ideas and treat the process more like a collaboration. Dr Who has taught me that; before we would even start shooting, we’d discuss everyone’s ideas and interpretations of the scene for at least an hour. It elevated not just my own performance, but everyone else’s, too. MA: Has this outlook changed the way you approach your characters? JA: I’ve been researching the Meisner and Stanislavski techniques, taking bits from each of them to create something that works for me. Thinking about my characters, discovering their objectives, what they want and why they want it, understanding their background, all of that is now part of my process. Preparation brings a different element to performance. Still, when you go into a scene, the most important part is letting that go and allowing instinct to take over. MA: What is your dream role? JA: That would be James Bond, that’s definitely my dream role. In terms of career, I’m a huge cinephile, so it would be a blessing to step behind the camera and direct.  MA: Who inspires you? JA: Donald Glover, particularly his series Atlanta. He wrote it, produced it, directed it, starred in it; he does music as well, Childish Gambino. He’s one of the most talented people in the industry. MA: What excites you about the future? JA: I’m excited about doing my own projects. It’s very early days, but I’m starting to think of ideas for short films. They’re difficult to pull off, from funding to hiring crew — things that, as an actor, you usually don’t have to worry about. So it can be daunting, but it’s also exciting. MA: Of course, you get to wear a different hat. JA: The main thing I’ve noticed is that, when it comes to writing and producing, your support network is invaluable. Having other people who are just as passionate about a project as you are is important because you can hold each other accountable. MA: Where do you get the ideas for these independent projects? JA: So then, when you’re presented with a script, you have those experiences in your arsenal to draw from and be like, ‘I’ve seen this, I’ve experienced this, I understand this.’ It’s the same with writing. It could just be something you’ve seen and then you think, ‘Oh, that would be a cool short film.’ Inspiration in that sense comes from within. jacket and jeans 7 For All Mankind shirt Sandro jacket Sandro t-shirt James Perse shirt Sandro sunglasses Szade photography Jason Jude fashion Cecylia Świetlik  hair and makeup Salina Thind  photography assistant Ignas Kelpsas

The Inside Scoop on Maxwell Cunningham text by Janae McIntosh photography Sandra Myhrbergfashion Olivia Bohman  blazer Sefrshirt HOPEtrousers Gantshoes Filippa K Maxwell Cunningham, from Los Angeles, California, is an up-and-coming actor and producer, making waves in the industry. From Top Dog to One More Time, Cunningham takes acting to the next level. In A Life’s Worth, the six-part drama series he starred in recently, he explores new emotional horizons. Beyond acting, Cunningham has also utilised his talent in producing. In this interview, Maxwell discusses his projects and how he has navigated his characters, stories, and career. Janae McIntosh: You recently filmed Season 1 of “A Life’s Worth.” Can you tell me about your experience filming this show?Maxwell Cunningham: It was honestly one of the most rewarding projects I’ve ever worked on, and not just because I got to wear a bulletproof vest and a barret. It was intense, both physically and emotionally. We went through a boot camp that was so realistic, I would wake up in the middle of the night, months later, and start saluting our major. But honestly, the real weight of it came from portraying actual events. We weren’t just playing soldiers; we were honouring people who lived through something unimaginable. That responsibility sticks with you. JM: What were some things you relied on to help you get closer to Forss, your character on “A Life’s Worth”?MC: Honestly, the biggest source was the real veterans themselves. Many of us had the honour of meeting the veterans who actually served in the battalion in which we adapted into the series. The Yugoslavian war was less than 30 years ago, so these brave men and women who served are still relatively young, sharp, and they have this quiet strength that makes you realise, ‘Oh… I better not screw this up.’ We read many books about the subject, and I watched as much wartime footage as I could stomach. I even went to Bosnia myself along with a group of veterans. But it was the boot camp, the infamous boot camp, that really brought it jeans shirt Filippa Kshirt Samsøe Samsøeshorts Hopeskirt JU   home. One week of Hell. It helped us understand a fraction of what these guys went through, and that was enough to keep us sort of grounded. JM: You are also a producer. What inspired you to take that step in film producing?MC: I just really, really love film. It’s my true passion. My only obsession. I feel like I carry it with me everywhere I go, like a perfume. After a dear friend of mine, Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen, told me his friend, a director in Copenhagen, had an insane film idea, I wanted to play a part in realising it. The film I executively produced is called RECKLESS. It just came into a few cool festivals, and we’ll be premiering it this fall. JM: Do you have any future projects you mind talking about, or maybe something you are looking forward to?MC: I have a film coming out later this year called Mecenaten, or ‘The Art Patron’ in English. It’s a suspense drama, starring me, Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen and Carla Sehn, and it’s about two best friends who study together at an art school. When they meet a young hip art patron who sells them a dream, their friendship gets put to the test, and things quickly begin to spiral. I also just finished filming a film called In Starland, my first time shooting in the U.S, and the first time I’ve worked on a US production. It was beautiful, and I still can’t believe I got to be a part of it. We were in coastal Mississippi for like 6 weeks, having an absolute blast. I can’t speak about anything in detail. But I have a feeling it’ll be a topic of discussion when it comes out. Clarence Maclin, the star of this film, is just phenomenal. JM: Lastly, are there some films that heavily influence your work?MC: I’m still very new at this. I feel like I’m experimenting a lot, finding my voice, as they say. I’m always drawn to performances that are like when you watch a magician on stage. I’ve been watching a lot of John Cassavetes movies lately. Some of the films he made with his wife, such as A Woman Under the Influence, Gloria, or Opening Night, are really jaw-dropping in a lot of ways. shirt Sefrtrousers GANTshoes Cosbag Arket blazer Sefrshirt HOPEtrousers Gantshoes Filippa K blazer Ewa Larsson C0NCEPTshirt Samsøe Samsøejeans Sefr   jacket and trousers Filippa Kshirt Sefr

Marc by Sofia: Sofia Coppola’s Intimate Take on Marc Jacobs Written by Janae McIntosh Sofia Coppola is releasing her first documentary, Marc by Sofia, this August at the Venice Film Festival — a collaboration that feels natural and long overdue. This isn’t your typical fashion doc. It’s a quiet, heartfelt portrait of Marc Jacobs, told from the perspective of someone who’s shared his world for decades. Their story starts back in the early ’90s, when Marc was making waves with his grunge Perry Ellis collection and Sofia was just emerging into the scene. Since then, their creative paths have been deeply intertwined — from Sofia starring in his perfume campaigns to directing his iconic Daisy ads, and collaborating on his bold Heaven line. It’s a friendship that goes far beyond fashion’s spotlight. Though details about the film are still under wraps, if it’s anything like Sofia’s other work, expect a moody, dreamlike look at Marc’s journey — from his Parsons beginnings to his theatrical Louis Vuitton runway moments, all seen through her cinematic lens. This isn’t a documentary about fashion history. It’s about friendship, creativity, and a shared language developed over decades. For anyone who cares about style and storytelling, this will feel like an intimate conversation between two creative icons. photo courtesy of A24