By Paul Salfen, Christine Thompson AMFM Magazine December 17, 2025
In the clout-chasing whirlwind of Los Angeles, where work-life balance often feels like a punchline, Serious People arrives as a razor-sharp, genre-bending comedy that hits uncomfortably close to home. Co-directors Pasqual Gutierrez and Ben Mullinkosson—longtime friends and collaborators—turned a literal nightmare into one of the buzziest indies of the year. Premiering at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival in the NEXT section, the film follows a successful music video director (Gutierrez, playing a version of himself) who, facing impending fatherhood, hires a doppelgänger named Miguel (Miguel Huerta) to handle his professional duties in the directing duo Cliqua. What starts as a clever fix spirals into chaos, straining relationships and culminating in a disastrous shoot.
Part mockumentary, part cringe comedy, Serious People explores replaceability in an industry obsessed with image, the anxieties of parenthood, and the absurd lengths creatives go to “have it all.” Shot in Gutierrez’s real home with his pregnant partner Christine Yuan playing herself, and featuring Cliqua partner RJ Sanchez, the film’s hybrid fiction-nonfiction style blurs lines in ways that feel both intimate and hilariously unhinged.
In an exclusive chat with AMFM host Paul Salfen, Gutierrez and Mullinkosson open up about the film’s origins, its polarizing reception, and why leaning into the awkwardness was key.
A Dream Turned Nightmare (On Screen)
The idea for Serious People came straight from Gutierrez’s subconscious. “I had this vivid dream during Christine’s second trimester,” he recalls. “It was almost a nightmare, but funny—I hired a doppelgänger from Craigslist to take over my work life so I could be more present as a dad.” He shared it with his real-life wife, who encouraged him to turn it into a movie, then called Mullinkosson, who was in China at the time.
Mullinkosson, no stranger to personal storytelling—his acclaimed documentary The Last Year of Darkness captured Chengdu’s underground queer club scene—jumped at the chance. “Pasqual and I wanted to make a movie since we were 20,” he says. “We went to film school together, lived in LA. This was the first complete idea.” The script evolved via Google Docs, with a bare-bones outline, and the crew consisted of old roommates and friends.
Shot on a shoestring budget in bedrooms, offices, and cars, the film embodies DIY ethos. “Every day was a blessing,” Gutierrez says. “Ben kept reminding me: ‘Dude, we’re making this movie. This is amazing.'”
Embracing the Cringe
The trailer’s bold inclusion of harsh quotes—”the worst movie I’ve ever seen,” “so stressful it made me want to shrink into a little ball and die”—has sparked curiosity. Gutierrez and Mullinkosson lean in. “We have to be self-aware,” Gutierrez explains. “This movie is really cringey, and we’re owning it. Miguel is a genius at making your skin crawl.”
Early cuts drew hesitation about Huerta’s over-the-top performance, but the duo doubled down. “The more we watched, the more we realized: Miguel is perfect,” Mullinkosson adds.
Advice for Aspiring Filmmakers
Both come from accomplished backgrounds—Gutierrez as half of Cliqua (credits include Bad Bunny, The Weeknd, Rosalía), Mullinkosson with docs like Don’t Be a Dick About It (IDFA Audience Award)—but emphasize accessibility. “Just shoot something,” Gutierrez urges. “One key scene was shot on an iPhone. Technology democratizes filmmaking.”
Mullinkosson echoes: “We never wrote a full script before this. You just gotta go for it—no financing, no excuses.”
On perseverance: “Believe in your vision all the way,” Gutierrez says. “If you don’t, you shouldn’t do it.”
As Serious People hits theaters—opening December 12 for a week-long run at New York’s Quad Cinema, followed by nationwide VOD on December 16 (Apple, Amazon, and major platforms)—the duo invites viewers into “Pasqual’s wonderful life in Los Angeles.” It’s messy, awkward, and profoundly human. In an industry of facades, that’s seriously refreshing.
