Jonathan Majors on Magazine Dreams and His Unnervingly Tense Drama | Sundance 2023

Writer and director Elijah Bynum’s second feature film, Magazine Dreams, stars Jonathan Majors as Killian, a Black, amateur bodybuilder with dreams of winning world championships. He can see himself on the covers of magazines, but in order to achieve these goals, Killian strives for unattainable perfection. Struggling not just with his own self-image and physique, Killian is also dealing with his inability to make a genuine human connection and is haunted by his own painful past. All of this is exacerbated by mental health issues that make him difficult to maintain relationships with. Magazine Dreams is a brutal and unflinching look at what someone is willing to do to achieve his dream. Grappling for any ounce of acceptance, or love, Killian pushes himself harder and further until there may be no turning back. In addition to Majors, the movie also stars Haley Bennett, Taylour Paige, and Bradley Stryker. Bynum’s second feature film took home this year’s Jury Award for Creative Vision. Ahe