Film and Cinema | In UK and Irish cinemas now
Luca lives in a big house with loving parents, and she has millions of followers on social media. On paper, she has everything a teenage girl could want. But Luca never chose this life. Being an influencer is the family business, and her parents make it clear that however much they love her, she has to play her part to keep the sponsors coming.
Then her parents decide to have another baby, and a crisis begins to loom. Luca just wants to be special. Can she stay the only “babystar”, or is she as disposable as her last Instagram story?
Babystar, a biting German satire from director Joscha Bongard, opened in UK and Irish cinemas on 25 September. Here are five reasons to see it.
1. The reviews are glowing
Critics have been impressed. The film has earned five stars from The Upcoming, four stars from Metro, The Reviews Hub, CultureFly and Voice Mag, and four and a half stars from Close-Up Culture and One Mann’s Movies. Film Threat gave it 8/10.
Variety compared it to an influencer-era version of The Truman Show, while Screen Daily described it as a chilly dissection of family life in the age of the influencer.
2. It premiered at Toronto
Babystar had its premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, one of the most important festivals on the film calendar.
Since then it has drawn comparisons to Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things) and Ruben Östlund (Triangle of Sadness), two directors known for dark, uncomfortable and very funny satire. If you like their work, this is one to catch.
3. It couldn’t be more timely
The film arrives just as the debate about children and social media is at its loudest. In June 2026, the UK government announced legislation to ban under-16s from platforms including TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat, with the law expected to come into force next year.
As the director points out, the first generation of “YouTube babies” are now teenagers, and some are publicly questioning whether growing up in the spotlight was ever right. Babystar is a film that will spark conversations on the way home.
4. The director knows this world from the inside
Joscha Bongard was an early adopter of social networks as a teenager and later worked in the YouTube industry. That experience gives the film a sharp, insider’s view of online platforms and the families who build businesses on them.
He has said he wanted to take a clear stance without preaching, and to remind audiences that, as viewers, we all help keep the attention economy going.
5. A standout cast
Maja Bons (Everybody Is F*cking Crazy) leads the cast as Luca, alongside Bea Brocks, Liliom Lewald and Joy Ewulu. They’re joined by Maximilian Mundt, best known from Netflix’s How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast), and Verena Altenberger from the long-running crime series Tatort.
Good to know
Babystar
In UK and Irish cinemas from 25 September 2026
Director: Joscha Bongard
Writers: Joscha Bongard and Nicole Rüthers
German with English subtitles · 98 minutes · Certificate 12A
Distributed by Metis Films
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