This Isn’t Just About Going Viral

MOVIE REVIEW
Namas Dei: The Tucker J. James Story
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Genre: Comedy
Year Released: 2025
Runtime: 1h 40m
Director(s): Yannis Zafeiriou
Writer(s): Josh Allen Goldman, Yannis Zafeiriou
Cast: Josh Allen Goldman, Dylan Rourke, Laura Juliane May, Noelle Messier, Carrie Gibson, William Goldman, Ryan Vigilant, Liliana Castro, Crystal Yaskulski, Justine Wachsberger
Where to Watch: TBA, on Film Festival tour. For more information, visit www.instagram.com/flyingpenguinyz

RAVING REVIEW: It’s oddly intriguing watching someone spiral in real-time, especially when the spiral is staged, polished, and presented for our consumption. NAMAS DEI: THE TUCKER J. JAMES STORY takes that premise and crafts a story that feels both of-the-moment and deeply rooted in the timeless human urge to be seen. What starts like another influencer comedy gradually reveals a story about identity, aspiration, and the self-destruction that comes from trying too hard to be the person everyone wants you to be. For a film built around digital facades, it manages to sneak up with moments of surprising honesty.

Shot almost entirely through vlog-style storytelling, the film pulls us into Tucker’s mind using his tools to present himself to the world. The immersive approach places us directly in the chaos of a life that has been filtered, framed, and manipulated beyond recognition. The choice of format isn’t just a gimmick; it reinforces the themes at every turn, forcing the viewer to interpret authenticity through the lens of a man who is no longer certain what that word means. Director Yannis Zafeiriou avoids making the format feel too self-congratulatory—it’s a storytelling device, not a stunt.

Tucker, played with charm by co-writer Josh Allen Goldman, is introduced as the kind of guy who could easily be mistaken for satire: all catchphrases, borrowed affirmations, and a YouTube-ready smile. But the performance leans into nuance. Goldman threads the needle between comedy and cringe, letting Tucker evolve from a parody of internet culture into something more three-dimensional. There’s a careful restraint here—Goldman never pushes Tucker too far into absurdity or sentimentality, allowing the character’s slow burn of self-awareness to remain believable even when the story veers into the surreal.

As a character study, the film succeeds largely due to the people surrounding Tucker. Brendan, the overconfident friend with just enough charisma to mask his lack of substance, embodies the kind of influence that fuels bad decisions. Erin, a manager stuck between hope and exasperation, grounds scenes with understated pathos. Tucker’s spiritual coach, Gardenia, is exactly the kind of L.A. caricature you’d expect to spout pseudo-wisdom—yet she’s oddly effective in her role. Each character contributes to the environment that supports and sabotages Tucker’s journey, reflecting the dual nature of ambition and the consequences of surrounding yourself with yes-people and opportunists.

Rather than focus solely on Tucker’s rise or fall, the narrative structure presents a series of emotional snapshots—moments that capture his attempts to define himself against a backdrop of curated perfection. There’s no straightforward course here. Instead, the film leans into chaos, mimicking how we scroll through curated lives, flipping between highs and lows. This rhythm builds a feeling of instability that mirrors Tucker’s unraveling. Letting things unfold inconsistently works to the story’s benefit, reflecting the disorientation that comes with losing control of one's narrative.

Thematically, the film explores identity not just as a personal concept, but as a commodity. Tucker doesn’t just want to be liked—he wants to be branded, recognized, and replicated. The story examines what happens when personal growth is repackaged for engagement and how genuine emotions are diluted through the lens of public perception. These ideas play out with subtlety, never forced or overly preachy. The film trusts its audience to pick up on the irony of Tucker’s situation without resorting to heavy-handedness.

The film remains focused on a singular question: What does it mean to be genuine in a world that demands performance? It resists offering a clean answer, which is one of its strengths. Instead of ending on a high note or delivering a tidy resolution, it opts for ambiguity. The final scenes don’t wrap up Tucker’s arc—they crack it open, leaving space for reflection rather than applause. That refusal to settle is what lingers most.

What makes this story work isn’t just its relevance to influencer culture, but its willingness to empathize with its subject. NAMAS DEI: THE TUCKER J. JAMES STORY doesn’t mock Tucker’s yearning or shame him for his missteps. Instead, it examines how ambition can transform into self-erasure when channeled through the wrong lens. The film doesn’t ask you to like Tucker. It simply asks you to watch, think, and perhaps question more about how we present ourselves when believing everyone is watching.

For all its digital trappings, there’s something deeply human underneath the surface—an understanding that mistakes, reinvention, and delusion aren’t signs of failure. They’re part of the process. The satire is effective because it’s rooted in genuine emotion. The comedy lands because it’s grounded in discomfort. And the story resonates because it isn’t really about being an influencer—it’s about what we’re willing to sacrifice to feel seen.

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[photo courtesy of FLYING PENGUIN PRODUCTIONS]

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