Written and directed by Elijah Bynum, Magazine Dreams operates on sheer ferocity alone. The film tackles a plethora of thought-provoking themes, and it leans into the heaviness and discomfort quite a bit, so much so that it will have audiences squirming in their seats. Powered by an incredible, devoted performance from Jonathan Majors, Magazine Dreams stumbles in its last act and repeats itself too often, but it is gripping and intense all the same.

Killian Maddox (Majors) is an aspiring bodybuilder who hopes to one day be famous, emulating his idol by being on the cover of magazines. Killian lives with his sick grandfather, William Lattimore (Harrison Page), and struggles to balance his bodybuilding training and food intake while taking care of his grandfather, working at the local grocery store, and attending court-mandated therapy sessions. Killian has difficulty keeping his temper at bay and lives under constant, and self-imposed, pressure to be the perfect bodybuilder.