09/09/2025 - Joscha Bongard's bold debut explores social media's dark side through arthouse aesthetics and a disturbing family narrative

In the Discovery section of this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, Babystar [+see also:
trailer
interview: Joscha Bongard
film profile], the feature debut by Joscha Bongard, is set to be one of the most discussed titles of the festival, thanks to its highly contemporary setting that explores a hyper-social-media-driven society. Co-written by the director together with Nicole Ruethers, the film tells the story of Luca (Maja Bons), a teenager whose parents have made famous since her birth, by posting everyday of her life together as a family online. When her mum (Bea Brocks) gets pregnant and, together with her dad (Liliom Lewald) gushes with excitement, the young girl starts realising the toll that these decisions have taken on her life.

Babystar can be praised for two main reasons: first, it’s connected to today’s problems around social media presence and the portrayals of everyday life splattered on display for everyone to see. Secondly, it’s a film that uses its style as a tool to convey a sense of discomfort, as if the camera were spying on the characters—especially on Luca—using a fisheye lens and weird camera angles that in some ways recall Yorgos Lanthimos’s work. The director explores the topic of extreme social media use as a way to discuss the disintegration of a family, with Luca not really belonging after realising she’s been used as a “tool” and a money-making machine since birth, as this is now happening to her sister. It’s not just first-born jealousy, it’s a true life crisis. 

Bongard’s feature maintains a freshness and likability that feel Netflix-friendly, while still preserving its arthouse style through unconventional techniques and ensuring that the cinematography (by Jakob Sinsel) is meticulously curated and bold. The acting—especially from Bons—is both believable and unsettling, effectively reinforcing the film’s overall tone. Nonetheless, Babystar loses some of its momentum as it progresses. The tension built up in the first part doesn't fully pay off in the final act, since, instead of continuing to rise, it seems to be petering out. The unsettling atmosphere begins to dissipate too quickly, and the audience may feel a bit let down by how abruptly it resolves. 

Much (digital) ink could be spilled analysing the film’s attempts to reflect our contemporary world, efforts that are vividly captured in the striking animations that appear in the opening part of the story. The film's originality and freshness are likely to win over audiences, and the theme is obviously very topical. I in this sense, Babystar represents an interesting point of view that seems to have been confronted (at least in a remarkable way) in only a few recent projects.

Babystar was produced by Germany’s LiseLotte Films, in co-production with ZDF – Das Kleine Fernsehspiel (ZDF’s editorial department for emerging talents) and Filmakademie Baden-Württenberg. The Yellow Affair (Finland/UK) is handling world sales.