Rising Star Sebastian Kim Wows Audiences with Dark Comedy 'Slumber Party' at IFF Boston

PH: Can you tell us about your journey into filmmaking, acting, and writing? What initially sparked your interest in these creative fields?

Sebastian Kim: Well, I can’t afford therapy, so I think that’s probably a good place to start. Just kidding—my parents are film buffs, so growing up I didn’t have much of a choice but to watch a lot of great films. I remember getting all riled up trying to emulate characters like Errol Flynn in “Captain Blood” and messing around with my dad’s Sony HandyCam. From there, I think I naturally just developed an interest in how films are made because I wanted to start making my own. My interests got more serious over time, and I owe a lot to my mom for helping me seek out opportunities to get on real sets acting in student shorts, TV commercials, and professional theater productions. Another big piece of the puzzle was discovering Spike Jonze. His music videos like the one for “Drop” by The Pharcyde inspired me to start shooting more ambitiously. By the time I was in high school, I only had formal training as an actor, but I ended up wearing pretty much all of the hats by necessity just to execute an idea. There was a lot of trial and error. Working in a professional context is different, but my creative approach is still very open. 

PH: With experience in directing, acting, and writing, how do you balance these different roles in your projects? Do you have a preference for one over the others?

Sebastian Kim: Filmmaking is all about collaboration, so whatever my role is, I try to focus on doing everything I can to support the team. Getting to work with the right group of people is one of the most rewarding parts of the process for me. When it comes to balancing multiple roles, I look to filmmakers like Benny Safdie. His approach has taught me the importance of being true to your strengths while also placing the needs of the film above your own. It also comes down to doing your homework and being prepared. There was a little variation on the day, but I storyboarded every shot in “Slumber Party” and a lot of directorial conversations that may have otherwise happened on set went down in advance. It was my first time acting while also directing and it wouldn’t have been possible without the right team, especially my Co-Producer Alec Van de Bovenkamp and DP Hudson Price. I’m a bit older than he is, but Hudson and I have known each other since we were kids and we’ve made a handful of skits and skate videos together over the years. Having that level of familiarity and shared scrappy mentality was huge. 

PH: "Slumber Party" has been described as a darkly comedic heist film with unexpected twists. What inspired the story, and how did you develop its unique blend of comedy and suspense?

Sebastian Kim: The story is based on a real-life, low-level gang in Brighton Beach that was breaking into houses and stealing from legit gangsters. It’s also based on experiences my co-writer Oceanna Pak had growing up attending sleepovers at the home of someone involved in organized crime. I have a serious amount of respect for both sources of inspiration, but I also wanted to stay true to myself in crafting a story that combines them. I think adding an element of humor is ultimately what made it the right film for me to make as opposed to a film that seems more obvious at first glance.

PH: The film features a chaotic clash in a Brooklyn mansion. Can you talk about the challenges and joys of shooting in such a distinctive location?

Sebastian Kim: The setting is a big part of what attracted me to the story and finding the right location for the shoot was a challenge. I was driving around knocking on doors and calling everyone I know to find a house, but our limited budget for locations and the fact that I actually don’t speak Russian made the task difficult. A producer friend of mine had recently scouted houses in the area for a different project, and she came in clutch by introducing us to the owner of the house we ended up shooting in. I could have cried tears of joy the first time I walked in there. It belongs to the former owners of a pretty famous, though now closed, nightclub in Brighton Beach called “Rasputin.” Everything about it was dripping with authenticity. The owners drove a hard bargain, but it was definitely worth it. We had a blast shooting there once we were in.

PH: How did you approach the casting process for "Slumber Party," especially for the pivotal roles of the mob boss's daughter and her friends?

Sebastian Kim: For starters, I had the great fortune of working with Tom O’Keefe who plays the older gangster who drives us to the house. You might recognize him from his role as E Morgan Pearl on “The Tick” and his recent appearance as Frank Sinatra on “American Horror Story.” He and I met through mutual friends and I knew he was a cool guy, but I wasn’t sure he’d be willing to do the part. I’m super grateful he was. His performance really elevates the film! For the two younger guys, we were looking for people who resembled the dudes we saw in music videos for Russian rappers like Face. Shaha Mag and I, with a few subtle personality adjustments, could fit right in there. Shaha is actually a director by trade, not an actor, but somehow we convinced him to do it. He’s one of two native Russian speakers in the cast. The other is Mina Levitis who plays the gangster’s older daughter. We connected with Mina while scouting because she actually lives in the house we shot in. Again, casting Mina was a no brainer. You just can’t get that kind of authenticity any other way. Everyone else came from friends and family. 

PH: What message or experience do you hope audiences take away from "Slumber Party”?

Sebastian Kim: I want audiences to get totally immersed in it. It starts out feeling dark and disorienting and then slowly ramps up in intensity as things get weirder and more dangerous over the course of the break-in. The ending should feel like all the lights coming on in the middle of a rave, but in a good way. 

PH: Your documentary short “Winslow Homer: The Man Himself” and the music video for “Reception Desk” by Them Airs both have unique styles. How did these projects influence your approach to "Slumber Party”?

Sebastian Kim: I think both of those experiences helped shape my understanding of the camera as a tool that can be used to enhance the way I see the world around me. While working on the Winslow Homer film, I shot a lot on Prout’s Neck in Maine, where Homer had his studio and where he made a lot of his most famous paintings. I was trying to capture iconic landscapes like Canon Rock at all different times of day and in various conditions. Doing that completely changed how I look at those paintings today. I think the biggest take away from that is the idea of letting what’s happening right in front of me guide the creative process, instead of the other way around. Especially when I’m acting or directing, but also while I’m writing, there’s just no substitute for getting out of my head and into my senses. 

The process of making the “Reception Desk” video was very experimental, but that band is such an awesome group of weirdos that  I can’t imagine having done it any other way. I really didn’t know what I had until I started editing. By contrast, I was pretty methodical about making “Slumber Party,” but I think my approach benefited from having experimented a lot on projects with lower stakes. 

PH: "Doug Ever After," which you co-wrote, received a Best Screenplay nomination. How did that experience shape your writing style and narrative choices in "Slumber Party”?

Sebastian Kim: “Doug Ever After” focuses on one character’s experience with a company offering luxury services to people interested in having themselves killed. I wrote the first draft and then the director Anderson Tram and I collaborated on subsequent drafts. At that time, I think I was still just getting to know my own style and it’s become a lot more refined since then. While writing “Slumber Party,” I was thinking about characters and events that would be compelling given an existing setting instead of building a world from scratch for them to inhabit. I’m reminded of when Hitchcock described his films as slices of cake as opposed to slices of life. Personally, I think life sometimes just needs a little creative push in the right direction to make it look more appetizing. 

PH: You've worked with various directors and producers, including Elizabeth Giamatti and Anderson Tram. How have these collaborations influenced your work and perspective as a filmmaker?

Sebastian Kim: I’ve learned a lot by trying things on my own, but I’ve also learned a lot by seeking out collaborators who are older and wiser. I think Liz and Anderson are great examples of people who, in addition to being skilled directors, have also had successful careers as producers. As directors, they’re on the hook for knowing what story we’re ultimately trying to tell, but they also bring to the process a deep awareness of all the moving parts it takes to support that vision. Creating alongside filmmakers who think about the whole picture and not just their own piece of it is a real joy and it’s something that’s informed the way I think about my own journey in terms of becoming as well-rounded as possible.

PH: Who are some of your biggest influences in filmmaking, and how have they impacted your creative vision?

Sebastian Kim: Spike Jonze stands out for me. I grew up skateboarding and I think I saw “Video Days” when I was about ten years old. I was immediately hooked on skating, but even more so on the style and feeling of that video. I’m not ashamed to admit the “Jackass” series also had a huge influence on me creatively. In a weird way, I think there’s a direct connection between my appreciation for “Jackass” and movies like “Uncut Gems.” When Adam Sandler gets thrown into that fountain, it reminded me of “Jackass” bits like “Bad Dad” and “The Burglars.” That was definitely an “a-ha” moment that made me realize how the guerrilla techniques I’d grown up emulating could be applied to more sophisticated storytelling. 

PH: What are your thoughts on the current landscape of short films and independent filmmaking? How do you see it evolving in the next few years?

Sebastian Kim: I’m glad there are so many different avenues to exhibit short films these days. As far as I can tell, making any movie is really hard, so pulling it off at all is an accomplishment that deserves to be celebrated. That said, I think I’m feeling the same unease a lot of filmmakers are feeling when it comes to the state of the industry as a whole. It seems like the studios and streamers are cutting costs and going back to the drawing board every five minutes, the distribution climate is fickle at best, and the movers and shakers don’t seem very willing to gamble on unknown actors and filmmakers even though I think adult audience might be ready for them. I also see a lot of reasons to be hopeful, but I expect it’s going to take some time for everyone to shake off the lingering hangover of the pandemic and the strikes. 

PH: What advice would you give to aspiring filmmakers and writers looking to make their mark in the industry?

Sebastian Kim: Could you have them call me when they do it so they can let me in on their secret? In the meantime, my advice would be to worry less about making a mark on the industry and focus more on doing the best you can with the resources you have and the people around you. Everything else is outside your control. 

PH: Can you share a particularly memorable moment or challenge from the making of "Slumber Party" that stands out to you?

Sebastian Kim: In addition to finding the house, I’d say learning how to say my lines in Russian was pretty tricky. It’s a hard language and I really wanted to get it right. Alec reached out to a family member who’s a native Russian speaker and she did the initial translation of the dialogue. She also translated it phonetically and gave us recordings of the lines being spoken. I was listening to the recordings and repeating the lines on loop in the car and in the shower—basically any time there was a free moment. It wasn’t perfect in the end, but it always makes me proud when someone who knows what they’re listening to compliments that aspect of the film. 

PH: How do you stay creatively inspired and motivated across different projects, from documentaries to music videos to narrative shorts?

Sebastian Kim: I’m a big fan of hanging out with the gorillas at The Bronx Zoo whenever  I need to recharge. I feel like they’ve seen it all and they get it. I’ve never seen a gorilla cut someone off in traffic, but I think they can relate. Sometimes it helps to just zoom out and remember how interconnected everything is.