Magazine

Set in the microcosm of New York’s literary scene circa 2011, where everyone is maneuvering to either seize a foothold or maintain one, writer-director Alexandra Pechman’s strikingly confident feature debut chronicles the sentimental education of a young aspiring poet who rapidly becomes tangled in a web of eros, cultural gatekeeping, and office intrigue.

Newly transplanted from Arizona, Nora (Lily McInerny, TIFF ’24’s Bonjour Tristesse) is excited to begin an internship at the tastemaking literary journal, Platen. Her duties include reading slush-pile submissions, making coffee, and tending to the needs of high-profile guests during Platen’s many exclusive fêtes. While snobbery and name-dropping dominate, Nora’s feeling of alienation is tempered by her crush on associate editor Thomas (Joshuah Melnick) who, though only slightly older, seems to know everything about piloting the scene. Nora gradually comes to comprehend the advice of Platen publisher Mickey (Carol’s Jake Lacy): the most important thing for interns to know is when to leave the party.

The film’s 15-year-old time-stamp is pre-#MeToo but far from a mere cautionary tale. Magazine immerses us in the complexity of its milieu’s politics — where outright predation coexists with shades of complicity among the staff — but also the promise of genuinely meaningful friendships between the interns that bloom within this minefield of subterfuge. Ultimately, like all great artists, Nora is able to mine her experiences for lessons in the art of writing, business, and life.

ROBYN CITIZEN