OnlyFans creator makes acting debut in San Sebastian drama Cute
A stepfather trying to bury forbidden thoughts and a caregiver living a secret online life collide in Cute, the debut feature from Norwegian filmmaker Marlene Emilie Lyngstad.
The Danish drama is having its world premiere in the New Directors selection at the San Sebastian Film Festival, the festival's showcase for emerging directors, according to The Hollywood Reporter. A world premiere means this is the film's first public screening. The festival's 74th edition runs from Sept. 18 to 26.
The story follows Richard, played by Jan Gunnar Røise, who is troubled by forbidden feelings for his seven-year-old stepdaughter. He has left that family behind and built a new, tightly controlled routine around work and caring for his mother. That constructed reality unravels when the stepdaughter he left behind reaches out, according to the festival synopsis published in its programme listing.
Into that life comes Stella, played by Gina Jaqueline. Stella looks after Richard's mother by day and leads a double life as a Lolita camgirl, a performer who trades on youthful imagery on paid webcam sites. The two lonely figures circle each other. Desire and secrecy build between them.
Casting is part of the story. Jaqueline is an OnlyFans creator and social media influencer, and Cute is her acting debut. Røise is an established Norwegian screen and stage actor. Lyngstad wrote the script with Emilie Koefoed Larse.
Behind the camera, Lyngstad was born in Oslo in 1997, festival biographical notes say. Cute is a Nordisk Film production. It runs 106 minutes. It is a Denmark-Sweden-Norway co-production, meaning companies in three countries shared the financing and production duties.
Sales company TrustNordisk announced the San Sebastian selection on July 30 and described the film as a character-driven drama about forbidden desire and loneliness, according to its press release. The Hollywood Reporter unveiled the exclusive trailer on Sept. 16, describing Cute as a Danish drama tackling sexual taboos. Lyngstad and Jaqueline then discussed the film in an interview published on Sept. 20.
What makes this stand out is the pairing of two firsts. A first-time feature director has placed a first-time actor, known from a very different platform, at the centre of a festival launch. For audiences in San Sebastian, that means the conversation starts with the premiere itself.
