This is the brief and unexpected opening of Celine Song’s Materialists, a prologue that announces a certain loftiness in the film’s premise. Or in spite of it, as a sudden cut flings us into the classic opener of many a millennial rom-com: the cosmopolitan heroine at her vanity,

SAG award winner Pascal has been stealing scenes (and hearts) for years, but he truly rose to fame with unforgettable turns on Narcos (2015–2017), The Mandalorian (2019–2023), and The Last of Us (2023–2025).

By this metric alone, Celine Song’s “Materialists” is something else entirely. Song’s characters tell us bluntly what their salary is, or how much their apartment costs. Economic reality, in fact, drives the narrative.