Look At Me

A fictional autobiography about an insecure, awkward and lonely bisexual actor who goes on an unwitting journey of self-love in the midst of an eating disorder relapse.

Director/Writer: Taylor Olson
Producer: Taylor Olson, Koumbie, Kirsten Bruce
Starring: Taylor Olson | Koumbie | Stephanie MacDonald | Sam Vigneault

2023 | 86 mins | Canada | B&W, Color | Drama, Comedy, Portrait, Art

About the Filmmaker

Taylor Olson (he/they) is a queer former athlete-turned filmmaker. The Canadian Screen Award & thirteen-time ACTRA Award nominee is based in Kjipuktuk/ Halifax, N.S. Taylor’s feature film directorial debut Bone Cage was released to critical acclaim; sweeping the awards at the FIN Atlantic International Film Festival and earning over 30 additional accolades at festivals around the globe. Bone Cage appeared in competition at Camerimage, competed in the Forward Future section of the Beijing International Film Festival, and toured numerous US festivals before being nominated for two Canadian Screen Awards for Adapted Screenplay & Supporting Actress. Next, Olson is set to premiere his sophomore feature film Look At Me at the Slamdance Film Festival and will be shooting his third feature film Unseen in the spring of 2024 alongside Crave and Vortex Media. For television, Olson has directed for two seasons of This Hour Has 22 Minutes on CBC, three seasons of the documentary series Disrupt for AMI, and screened their AR series Alone Together at festivals such as the Reykjavik International Film Festival and the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam. As a creator, Olson released his first two short-form comedy series King & Pawn and 2GETHER 4EVER for Bell Fibe TV1. King & Pawn is currently shooting its third season in a 6 x 22 minute format for the Trailer Park Boys streaming service Swearnet. Olson likes to explore themes of masculinity, queerness, and the ways the two intersect.

Director’s Statement

My first memory is the shame of being called chubby by my Auntie when I was five years old. Since then I’ve struggled with my self image, and eventually bulimia. I’ll be honest, I’m pretty socially awkward, and I’ve been bulimic since I was thirteen years old and have never been ‘cured’. However, I have been on an ongoing, refreshing, failing, and – at times – unwitting journey towards something resembling self-love, and bonus, my bulimia is in frequent remission (woohoo!). LOOK AT ME is the movie I’ve been eager to make since I started directing short films. I am so grateful this film exists. I was inspired by the Tribeca & Rotterdam hit I Am A Sex Addict where the filmmaker plays himself in the most honest, uncomfortable, and vulnerable work I’d seen at that point (six years ago). I saw an opportunity to adapt my play ‘Heavy’ to the screen and tell my own story as honestly and with as much vulnerability as I could. Allowing my journey towards self-love to hopefully impact and ignite someone on their own journey to loving themselves. We had a ridiculous amount of fun making this film; we laughed, we cried, and we reflected on our relationships with ourselves and each other. I hope LOOK AT ME can do for you what it did for us.