Director Julian Castronovo stars as “Julian Castronovo,” a filmmaker who uncovers a manuscript linked to missing art forger Fawn Ma. As coincidences spiral, paranoia blurs reality, leaving him unsure whether he’s authoring the mystery or trapped inside it. Enigmatic and beguiling, debut is unlike any first feature in recent memory, freely plumbing the depths of a digital landscape. Filled with viral clips, endless‑runner mobile games, Photo Booth recordings, and yes, even a puppet — filmed entirely in the director’s apartment on a production budget of just $900 — Castronovo, one of Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 New Faces of Independent Film” in 2024, has created cinema as copy‑pasta, and it’s brilliant.