In Camera review – smart, surreal showbiz satire hits a nerve

There’s only so much rejection an aspiring actor can take, only so many tone-deaf notes from distracted casting directors before it starts to take its toll. Aden (Nabhaan Rizwan) is a husk of a man, his own identity hollowed out, ready to be filled by a role – any role. Meanwhile, his Irish flatmate Bo (Rory Fleck Byrne), a junior doctor, is so wrung out by exhaustion that the boundary between reality and nightmare is blurring (this subplot is the least successful).

Related: In Camera writer-director Naqqash Khalid: ‘The film industry is a circus’

Then a new lodger moves in. Conrad (Amir El-Masry) has a smile full of teeth and glittering opportunities. He works in fashion but spends most of his energy marketing himself. And in him, Aden sees a way to combat the indifference of his industry.

This witty first feature from Manchester-born Naqqash Khalid (who segued into film-making after dropping out of a PhD) is a smart, stinging satire that unfolds in a grotesque version of the film and television world, a world that displays its commitment to inclusion and diversity like decorative bunting. It’s a heightened caricature, certainly, but there are uncomfortable truths underpinning the surreal excesses.

• In UK and Irish cinemas