Film

Sixteen-year-old Austyn Tester has not had an easy life, growing up poor in an industrial Tennessee town, but what he does have—teen idol good looks, an outgoing personality, and an internet connection—are enough to make him an object of adoration for the thousands of teen girls who tune in to his social media livestreams. Determined to make something of his life, Austyn dreams of moving to LA and taking his stardom to the next level—but in a world where everyone wants to be insta-famous, what does it take to stand out? Unfolding in a millennial pink, vaporwave haze, Liza Mandelup’s disquieting documentary offers a sobering look at teen dreams and disillusionment in the age of the “social media gold rush.”

Q&A with filmmaker Liza Mandelup