Over a period of twenty years, filmmaker Tova Mozard gathered material on Russ Kingston as he tried to make it in Hollywood. From this material she has created a glorious, multifaceted, touching monument to an extraordinary extra that should (and will) touch the hearts and cinematic souls of audiences everywhere.
“Yes, I like to pretend and make believe,” says Russ Kingston somewhere in the middle of the wonderful film in which he finally stars. As he says, he’s been in hundreds of films, somewhere in the background, almost invisible, but very much part of this great dream factory. He acts, directs, philosophises, glorifies, remembers, imitates – indeed, at times it is hard to tell when he is doing what. And as time goes by, the line between his professional and personal identities begins to blur, and it becomes difficult to determine what are his acted and what are his authentic words.
But what is clear is that he shares a very special relationship with the woman behind the camera that he loves to be in front of. They met by accident and started to hang out and shoot scenes in his humble apartment, in the hallway and staircase, in his favourite donut shop, in the car driving past the all-too-familiar vistas of Los Angeles. Sometimes he’s just talking, explaining his many theories, sometimes he’s following her instructions or contradicting them. It is hard to tell the actor from the man. But we do come to know a little bit about his background, his frustrations and ambitions and his absolute love for movies. He lives for the film set, irrespective of how long he’s required to be on it.
The story doesn’t unfold in a linear way; instead, it weaves together scenes from different periods, building around recurring themes. Still, we witness the actor grow older, slower, more resigned. Mozard doesn’t shy away from putting herself in front of the camera, though always in a supporting role—completing a scene, adding to a cinematic image, or simply sitting and listening. The chemistry between the two is palpable, though not romantic or sexual. It’s something deeper: a soulful connection rooted in a shared passion for fantasy and performance.
And then there’s the cinematography—every shot beautifully composed, with a striking sense of balance, colour, light, and drama, all underscored by a dreamy, ambient, sometimes haunting score. One moody sequence lingers in the mind: Mozard trying to reach her boyfriend by phone, while the camera glides past old-fashioned cinemas or captures the Los Angeles skyline at dawn. It’s deeply melancholic, transporting the viewer into another reality.
The film also prompts reflection on the layered relationship between filmmaker and subject. When did she decide to turn his life into a story? Is she exploiting him? Or is he using her to finally gain the attention he’s been seeking so desperately, and for so long?
Whatever the agendas of the people involved, Mozard and Kingston have achieved a common goal in making a film that should (and will) touch the hearts and cinematic souls of its viewers, and hopefully deliver this wonderful extra the long-overdue recognition he so richly deserves.
2025, Sweden, 90 minutes
Director Tova Mozar
Script Tova Mozard, Johan Löfstedt
Producers Daniel Pynnönen, Alice Sunnelius Aldén
Sound Design David Gülich
Sound Isak Sundström, Lisa Bergström
Composer Isak Sundström
Editor Johan Löfstedt
Distribution Lucky Dogs/Anna Lindström
