A One Mann’s Movies review of “babystar”. (2026, 4.5*, 12A).
I was sent a screener for babystar (with a little blue tick!) ahead of its release on September 25th (my thanks to the PR company Strike).
I often think that there is nothing new under the sun in the world of movies, but then a film like this comes along and you think “Ah, OK, yes… that’s a great angle”. There have been a few documentaries, all it seems from 2025, about the dangers of families exposing their young children to vlogging: An Update on Our Family (Prime Video), Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing (Netflix) and Born to be Viral (Youtube). And the German director Joscha Bongard of babystar dabbled with this concept already in his 2022 documentary Pornfluencer, following a ‘verified couple’ on porn sites as they spent their earnings in a tax haven.
In terms of fictional films, there was of course the subliminal Peter Weir film The Truman Show from 1998, where Truman (Jim Carrey) had been filmed all his life in a fictional seaside town and is only now having doubts, as a grown man, about his sanity and existence. (babystar gives this classic a nice little nod, through Truman’s famous off-to-work ‘farewell’.)
But, as far as I can see, this is the first feature film built on the idea of real-life TikTok ‘families’ and the damage that this sort of life is doing to the growth and outlook of their child stars as they enter their teenage years. And Bongard does a fantastic job in delivering the gripping story with style and real panache.
One Mann’s Movies Rating:
Plot:
The birth of Luca was put on the internet. As has every day for the last 16 years: her first steps; her first potty training; her first period. Everything. For she is a key member of a famous vlogging family on TikTok with her mother Stella (Bea Brocks) and father Chris (Liliom Lewald). Luca (Maja Bons) is adored by her fans and mobbed for selfies wherever she goes. But now she is questioning her lifestyle and when her mother and father drop the bombshell of their intention to try for another child, Luca’s life spirals into crisis.
Certification:
UK: 12A; US: NR. (From the BBFC website: “Infrequent strong language, moderate sex, threat.” Given the sexual content in this one, albeit, not overly explicit, I’m actually very surprised it was not a 15: I reckon it is right on the cusp. In the US, it will definitely be an “R”.)
Talent:
Starring: Maja Bons, Bea Brocks, Liliom Lewald, Joy Ewulu, Maximilian Mundt.
Directed by: Joscha Bongard.
Written by: Joscha Bongard & Nicole Rüthers.
Running Time: 1h 38m.
Review:
Positives:
- The screenplay itself is intriguing enough. Luca (called ‘Nunki’ by her parents – is this a ‘pet’ name in German?) is an internet sensation through the family’s “Our Bright Life” podcast, and the film opens with a group of children arriving at the family home. The look of sheer adoration and disbelief on the kid’s faces at seeing Luca in front of them is absolutely brilliant: did the director ship in Harry Styles or something for the day, just to get that reaction!? The kids are there to film a commercial that will be shown on TikTok and the work involves a rather uncomfortable al fresco lunch where the kids fire questions at her. “Do you have any friends?” one of the kids asks her. “I have 4.3 million followers on TikTok” is her only reply, as a look crosses her face. You get a glimpse into what a sad and vacuous life she leads.
- The film brilliantly shows Luca being 3D scanned: an impressive series of faded images with the videographer asking her to adopt various expressions: happy, sad, upset, etc. This is as a part of the ‘next generation ‘ of her brand…. a lifelike AI version of Luca that learns about its owner and allows it to partake in discussions about their life and mental health. In a bizarre twist (which works brilliantly) we see Luca engaging in deep and meaningful discussions with her own Avatar, trying to bring her life into some sort of focus. At one point, ‘AI Luca’ barks at ‘Real Luca’ “You’re a brand. Pull yourself together and take what’s yours”!
- Luca’s loneliness and disconnectedness from a normal teenage life is brought into focus later in the film when she gets to spend time with a ‘real family’. Almost a ‘Rental Family’, procured by her pimping herself out on the internet as a competition. She is almost impossibly lost with the banter around the family dining-room table. She blurts out – uncomfortably – that she once sang Natalie Imbruglia’s “Unwritten” at her grandmother’s funeral: a non-sequitur to the conversation, but you feel that she only has a very limited number of anecdotes in her repertoire and she feels like she has to say something. Later, the daughter accuses her – likening her to her own AI – of being “soulless” and a slapping battle ensues: a memorable moment in the film.
- The significant drama arises from her parent’s decision to want to have another child. Is this because they actually want another child? Or is it that they see that Luca’s sell-by-date is coming up and they need an additional brand boost (as was the proposed child between Truman and Meryl Burbank)? Given the podcast is central to Luca’s life – “I’m addicted to validation” she confesses to close friend, the videographer Julie (Joy Ewulu) – the effect on her is dramatic. A flash of temper at the pool; an embarrassing lunch moment; almost barging in on her parent’s sex-session (and then climbing into bed with them); a brand breakout; a hotel stay; sex games with the teenage hotel clerk Simon (Maximilian Mundt): it all smacks of Luca spinning out of control into a mental crisis.
- All of this drama is supported by a simply cracking performance from Maja Bons as Luca: the actress is 23, but plays 16 very well. The parents – Bea Brocks as Stella and Liliom Lewald as Chris – are also well-cast: good-looking and personable, you can see how their podcast would have become a ‘thing’.
- I’m not familiar with any of Joscha Bongard’s previous work, but the style behind this one really impressed me. We see every single brand name fuzzed / bleeped out of the film, which I assume was meant to illustrate that the podcast only ever endorsed products that paid them money! The camera angles, the colour palette, the fades in an out (not helpful when you’re watching a screener on your laptop… I kept thinking the internet had failed!): its all just so stylish and impressive. And the ending does not disappoint: what are Luca’s motivations? What are we meant to think happens next?
Negatives:
- It’s a full 25 minutes before the opening titles and I was so into the drama that it came as a bit of a disrupter to my viewing enjoyment. Better, I think, to have a straight up title-card at the start and then save all the titles to the end.
- There is a very confusing sequence involving Luca and her new dog Jürgen that I genuinely thought would be yet another 2026 movie requiring an entry in doesthedogdie.com. It is so unclear that I was very confused. So I suspect this will be equally confusing and upsetting for pet lovers (even though, in this case, it was not the outcome I suspected).
Summary Thoughts:
I originally drafted this review and gave the film 4 stars. But for the three days now since I saw it, my mind has drifted back to scenes from the film and particularly its enigmatic ending. It’s not often that a film like this stays with me for so long. So I thought… this deserves more, hence the 4.5 star rating.
The film will be in UK cinemas from 25th September, and I urge you to seek it out. Very much recommended.
Where to watch?
Trailer:
The trailer for the film is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91VQzLK2wAU.
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