Acting Is My Destiny

Acting Is My Destiny (2018) is a short, six-minute-long satirical comedy. It is directed by, written by, and starring Youlim Nam, an actor, comedian, and YouTuber based in New York. The film narrates a feud between two sisters, Jessica, played by Nam, and Jenny, whom we never see. Following Jenny’s success as an influencer and mature actor, Jessica is bitter about the supposed inauthenticity of Jenny’s video tutorials helping people become better actors. She has therefore gone behind Jenny’s back, hacking into Jenny’s YouTube channel and publishing a video speaking her truth on the matter.

The film opens with dreamy, digital-camera footage of Nam, AKA Jessica, in New York, the streets buzzing with excitement, colour and motion. Nam’s performance is full of whimsy and speaks of freedom, and the excitement of being young in a big city full of opportunity.

After this magical city sequence, viewers are suddenly transported into the perspective of Jenny’s laptop, the mise en scene recognisably similar to other laptop-screen-based films. For instance, when watching you may be reminded of the horror film Unfriended, a cult classic purely based on a Zoom call between a group of friends. Jessica speaks directly into the camera, addressing Jenny’s YouTube followers and the audience in tandem.

The film is a unique form of comedy, incorporating light, subtly detectable satire as Jessica expresses distaste towards the attitudes that young actors have towards the industry, whilst Nam herself is a rising actor with her own YouTube platform full of acting-based content. 

When complaining about Jenny, Jessica highlights her belief that Jenny does not truly know how to act, whilst she herself is a real actor. Jessica expresses that the craft of acting is being neglected by young, aspiring actors who only seek fame and money, and that they do not have a true passion for the arts. Though released in 2018, this sentiment certainly speaks volumes in today’s day and age, as popular young actors such as Timothée Chalamet have openly expressed a distaste towards the high arts of ballet and opera whilst seeking success in acting. 

Whilst it is important to acknowledge that the high arts no longer appeal as much to the younger generations due to the high cost of ballet and opera tickets, this nonchalant attitude towards art that is full of passion, nuance, and emotion comes across as arrogant from the young actor, who has stated publicly that he wants to be one of the greatest actors of all time. It feels shallow for him to seek a place within the greats whilst brushing off the significance of the art forms which shaped visual media to begin with. 

Meanwhile, the internet, including large successful actors such as Whoopi Goldberg, has slammed Chalamet for his comments, the whole ordeal becoming a huge mark on Chalamet’s image, and a unifying moment for actors who care for the fine arts, all, rather comically, over a small comment.  Yam’s film therefore satirising this idea of actors pitting against each other over the sentiment of a true care for the craft feels very ahead of its time, and lands well.

This quirky short is an enjoyable and timely watch in 2026. Yam creates a meta film using debates relatable to young aspiring actors, as well as today’s audiences who witness the scandals that successful actors face when making clumsy statements. Impressively conducted through a YouTube video format, which is fitting considering Yam’s own YouTube career, Acting Is My Destiny is a unique spin on satirical comedy.