Sightlines · reception

How Magic Magic was received

2013 · Sebastián Silva · Magic Magic on Sightlines

The arc

It premiered at Sundance in 2013, got mixed reviews and then went mostly straight to VOD. Today it's a small cult discovery, found mainly by people curious about Michael Cera's strangest performance.

What’s debated

Fans argue over whether its slow, fraying ambiguity is genuinely unnerving psychological horror or just ninety minutes of watching someone suffer with no payoff.

Its footprint

Its main afterlife is Cera's Brink, a menacing, smirking creep who is the opposite of his awkward nice-guy persona. He's often cited as proof that Cera has a dark side.

Where it stands

A beloved-by-few curio that turns up on 'underseen psychological horror' and 'Michael Cera against type' lists. It sits in the shadow of its sibling film, Crystal Fairy.

Did you know? Silva and Cera made Crystal Fairy & the Invincible Magical Cactus in Chile while waiting for Magic Magic to get going, and both films premiered at Sundance 2013. Wong Kar-wai's longtime cinematographer Christopher Doyle shot Magic Magic.