Celine Song Directs New NYC Love Triangle Film Materialists

Celine Song returns with Materialists, an A24 romantic drama starring Dakota Johnson as a high-end New York matchmaker caught between her broke ex (Chris Evans) and a wealthy suitor (Pedro Pascal). Drawing from her own six months' experience as a professional matchmaker, Song explores the tension between romantic idealism and social realities of wealth and marriage, highlighting how clients' shallow checklists often contrast with true desires for lifelong companionship. The film evokes classic New York romantic dramas and delves into universal themes of love, class, and the gap between what people say they want and what they actually need. Johnson described her character as successful but emotionally disconnected, on a journey to discover what she truly wants in life. Song has emphasized the film's mystery lies in the spiritual versus spoken aspects of falling in love, while Johnson praised Song as a masterful filmmaker and shared the positive set experience with co-stars Evans and Pascal. Materialists continues Song's cinematic exploration of complex relationships, following her Oscar-nominated debut Past Lives.