Beyond the Perfect Image: Sam McConnell’s Test Explores Masculinity, Identity, and Self-Acceptance
By Cesar A Reyes
For director Sam McConnell, Testis not just a story about bodybuilding, but a story about the search for identity, belonging, and the courage to confront who we are beneath the image we create for the world.
Marking McConnell’s scripted feature directorial debut, Test follows Eddie, a bodybuilder driven by the pursuit of physical perfection while wrestling with questions of masculinity, faith, desire, and self-worth. Written by Brock Yurich, the film immediately connected with McConnell because it explored a world rarely portrayed with honesty and emotional complexity.
“I’ve always been fascinated by bodybuilding and the unique culture that surrounds it, yet it’s a world I’ve never seen portrayed on screen—at least not with this kind of honesty,” McConnell says. His connection to the story began much earlier through his own experiences growing up queer and questioning ideas about masculinity.
“As a young queer kid, I grew up obsessed with He-Man, and later discovered Herb Ritts’ book of photographs of Bob Paris and Rod Jackson,” he explains. “Those images sparked my imagination and challenged my understanding of masculinity—what it means, how we perform it, and how we define ourselves through it.”
Although McConnell is not a bodybuilder himself, he recognized something familiar in Eddie’s pursuit of perfection. The character’s desire to transform his body becomes a reflection of a deeper emotional struggle: the belief that becoming “better” on the outside might finally lead to acceptance on the inside.
“I deeply connected with Eddie’s relentless drive to prove his worth,” McConnell says. “I think many of us can relate to looking outward—to achievement or appearance—to find value, rather than looking inward.”
Visually, Test uses bodybuilding as a language to explore vulnerability. Working with cinematographer Ava Benjamin Shorr, McConnell wanted to capture the beauty and discipline of the sport while also revealing the emotional cost behind the pursuit of perfection.
“Bodybuilding became the visual language of the film rather than simply its setting,” he says. “We weren’t interested in irony or spectacle, but in revealing the profound discipline, beauty, and vulnerability that coexist within this world.”
The film moves between the polished presentation of competition and the quieter moments where Eddie’s struggles surface. Behind the carefully built exterior is someone navigating expectations from family, faith, and society while trying to understand his own desires and identity.
Creating an environment where the cast could explore those emotional challenges was one of McConnell’s greatest responsibilities as a director. “Building that trust became one of the most important parts of my job,” he says. “My role was to create an environment where emotion could emerge honestly.”
At its heart, Test asks a question that reaches far beyond bodybuilding: What remains when the identities we have built for ourselves begin to fall away?
“If I’m no longer who I’ve been told I am, then who am I?” McConnell says. “I think that’s a profoundly human question, regardless of gender or circumstance.”
Through Eddie’s journey, McConnell hopes audiences walk away with greater empathy for the struggles people carry behind closed doors. “We spend so much time responding to the versions of people they present to the world,” he says, “when in reality we rarely know the private struggles, desires, or fears they carry.”
With Test, McConnell delivers a story about more than one man’s journey—it is a reflection of the universal search for acceptance, connection, and the freedom to become our most authentic selves.