Download Supernova; move review

 

 

SUPERNOVA

Cert 15

93 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong language, emotionally intense scenes

Alzheimer's is a cruel condition that has touched the lives of enormous numbers of families across the land.

It is the constant dread of Mrs W and myself that we will lose our mental faculties, having seen people close to us denied of theirs.

Indeed, we could not imagine what it must be like to be in the position of Stanley Tucci's character, Tusker, in Harry Macqueen's Supernova.

Tusker knows that he has progressive dementia and his condition is worsening as he goes on a holiday trip with his partner, Sam (Colin Firth).

So, the pair head off in a cramped mobile home, stopping for occasional meals, enjoying scenery before being guests of honour at a surprise party of family and friends.

None of these elements deflects from the central relationship between two people faced with the worst nightmare of their lives.

Both actors give compelling performances with Firth's Sam bewildered and helpless as his love loses his mind.

Meanwhile, Tucci's Tusker combines personal distress with pragmatism over what he knows will come next.

However, Supernova did not touch Mrs W and me as much as we had expected.

This may be down to it being deliberately slow-paced or because we have seen the subject matter attacked so often before.

Or possibly because we found it difficult to imagine the classic leading man Firth and regular cinema baddie Tucci as a gay couple.

That leads to the question of why weren't gay actors hired.

Whatever the answer, Supanova doesn't quite hit the mark.

Reasons to watch: Firth and Tucci giving it their all

Reasons to avoid: It is just too slow

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: Yes

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 6/10

Did you know? Early-onset dementia can begin when people are in their 30s, 40s, or 50s. With treatment and early diagnosis, the progression of the disease can be slowed and mental function maintained. The treatments may include medications, cognitive training, and therapy.

The final word. Stanley Tucci: "I thought the writing was pure. It was without affectation. It was without melodrama. It had a beautiful simplicity and a poeticism to it. And he was not afraid of silence. Those kinds of scripts are very hard to find. It was almost like reading a Bergman script." Empire Online

Share this post