In Harry Macqueen’s quiet road trip drama Supernova, grief is not something that begins with death or even significant loss. For Tusker (Stanley Tucci), a writer living with an accelerated form of dementia, early signs of grief occur in the passenger’s seat of an old RV during a trip through rural England with his longtime partner, Sam (Colin Firth). At first glance, the scene isn’t especially revelatory—Tusker and Sam lightly debate the virtues of regular maps over satellite navigational systems and squabble over Sam’s slower-than-strictly-necessary driving, just like any settled couple would.
But as we watch Tusker’s control slowly slip through his grasp, we realize that we’re watching a man mourn what he once was, a bright star collapsing too soon. “I’m becoming a passenger,” Tusker helplessly observes at a particularly pivotal moment of the story. “And I’m not a passenger.” By the end, Supernova isn’t necessarily a tale about a couple’s attempt to make the best of their last moments but about two people coming to grips with one’s mortality. Macqueen approaches the messy reality of letting go with measured sorrow, unrestrained tenderness, and even moments of joy.
When Sam, an accomplished classical pianist, is asked to perform a special recital across Britain’s Lake District, he and Tusker take the opportunity to turn their trek into a leisurely sojourn, complete with an overdue visit with family and close friends. This isn’t just any other trip; it’s what they presume to be their last adventure before dementia completely claims Tusker’s memory and faculties. The vicious disease is already seeping into the relationship in subtle ways. For Tusker, it manifests in his inability to read a loving speech that he wrote himself, button his own shirt, or even remember the names of basic shapes when he’s teaching his partner about the constellations. Sam, for his part, is forced to watch the once-exuberant love of his life not only slip away but somehow come to terms with his own inevitable decline—something Sam himself isn’t able to face just yet.
Though their journey is not without its warm moments—stargazing in old campgrounds, playful bickering in a roadside diner sparked by Tusker’s dark sense of humor—there’s an abiding sense of melancholy that permeates the film. Visually, the earthy color palette and warm lighting are striking but never too vibrant, casting a shadow over the proceedings. Legendary cinematographer Dick Pope highlights the beauty of the countryside without stealing focus from the engaging couple at the film’s center. There are far more scenes that take place at night than during the day, often showing Sam and Tusker taking respite in their various beds throughout the trip. It’s a welcome touch for a drama about a couple at its most vulnerable.
As Sam, Firth packs a tremendous amount of heartbreak into each despondent glance toward Tusker. It’s especially potent during moments of serious introspection, as he questions whether or not he can serve as an effective caregiver for his ill partner. These provide about all the insight that the audience gets on Sam as a person—we don’t learn too much about who he is outside of his relationship. It’s one of the weaker elements of Macqueen’s script, considering how much we see of Tusker beyond his partnership, disease, and occupation. But Firth still manages to render a great deal of anguish from the somewhat limited personal material he’s given.
Sam, who is naturally more subdued, makes for a fitting counterpart to Tusker, whose acerbic wit and extroverted spirit keep Supernova from becoming too claustrophobic with despair. Tucci’s magnetism makes him ideal for the role of a man personable to a fault and known to command a room. The only thing that can contend with Firth’s softly wounded expression is Tucci’s devastatingly resigned countenance, befitting someone simultaneously accepting and lamenting his fate while still attempting to exude positivity for those around him. At one point, Sam’s sister, Lilly (Pippa Haywood), limply suggests an article about an experimental drug rumored to have a positive effect on patients with dementia. Tucci’s pained smile while he politely agrees to read the article despite knowing that his prognosis is a lost cause is as heart-wrenching as any overtly tearjerking moment.
Supernova doesn’t offer as many bangs as one might expect from a film with its title. Until a third-act turning point, it progresses at a deliberate pace, low on action and tension. The film is intimate, but it drags a little, too—even at a modest 93 minutes. But when the unexpected climax finally arrives, Tucci and Firth blaze with the intensity you’d expect from a couple in love who want extremely different things. Whether sweetly cuddling in bed or fighting for their happily-ever-after in a rented cottage, these acting heavyweights never lose sight of the adoration that fuels their characters. They make a formidable team—one perfectly equipped to carry this story on their lonesome.
15 Comments
I have wanted to burst into tears every time I see the trailer for this. I am going to be a teary mess through this and full on Beaches sobbing when this is done I think.
Very much looking forward to see this. Can’t help but be reminded of Love is Strange, in which John Lithgow and Alfred Molina portray a couple going through their own set of hardships. Different situation, different country, but also incredibly touching (and funny).
That’s an amazing film – and (as a gay man), it highlights to me how great casting beats casting only gay people for gay roles, which seems to be a hot topic.Colin Firth in A Single Man is utterly heart breaking and honest in that film, the first scene is a haunting master class in acting.
I’m a queer dude and it’s something I continue to struggle with. Generally I come down on the opposite side – LGBTQ actors should portray LGBTQ characters, but that is rooted in the idea that those actors simply don’t get enough opportunities, their visibility helps us all and because there have been so many flawed performances (to put it mildly) from non-LGBTQ actors. Also, LGBTQ actors rarely get the chance to portray straight or cis characters.But I can’t deny there are also many non-LGBTQ actors who have given amazing performances and done so with great respect towards their characters and the wider community (and created great movies and tv shows while doing it). Frankly, I even think that it has helped towards broader acceptance, especially as they don’t belong to the community themselves.It’s a tricky subject, though perhaps more so for trans* and non-binary people than non-straight folk. Ideally, one day, having a queer identity is just an absolute non-issue and as such the personal identity of the actor becomes truly irrelevant and anyone can play anyone so long it’s done with integrity and respect.Cloudburst is another beautiful movie, in which Olympia Dukakis and Brenda Fricker play a hilarious elderly couple on a last roadtrip for marriage (it’s from 2011, when this was still a very real scenario for many couples).
A lot of the poor performances were in poor movies to begin with – no amount of gay actors will make bad writing and bad characters good, (if anything hiring a gay actor for a flouncy camp OTT queer does more to enforce stereotypes than break barriers).The changing attitude in the film industry as to what a gay character can be has done more for acceptance than hiring a gay actor for a gay role has in the last 30 years.This is all my opinion of course, and I can only speak towards my personal gay experience and not for others in different parts of the LGBTQI+ community. Ideally, one day, having a queer identity is just an absolute non-issue and as such the personal identity of the actor becomes truly irrelevant and anyone can play anyone so long it’s done with integrity and respect.This is what I want represented in films more than anything else – the never ending arguments for gay superheroes and gay action heroes and so on.I want to see gay teachers, politicians, community leaders, neighbours and loving families on screen more than a fictional super being that reflects nothing at all in reality.
I fully agree. There are some studies that looked into the (relatively) rapid shift in acceptance of LGBTQ people and they found that much of it had to do that we went from being ‘those people’ to being people. From being those ‘queers on a float’ we became your family member, your co-worker, your child’s teacher, your neighbour, your talkshow host, your favourite sitcom character. Suddenly, we weren’t so different and radical anymore (not that we ever were) and the real impact of discrimination and denial of rights became very visible.Honest representation, both real and fictional, had a lot to do with this and helped encourage private people to come out more and more, and vice versa, slowly changing the tide. There’s still a lot of work to do the globe over, but the shift over the past 20 years is as overdue as it is remarkable.That said, the day Batman comes out I am moving to Gotham.
Looking at what broke out in the 90s, it’s hard to say it would have happened without straight actors taking on roles that were (whether awards bait or not), a gamble.My Own Private Idaho disappears without Keanu and RiverPhiladelphia doesn’t get made without HanksThe Birdcage doesn’t get (re)made without Robin WilliamsPriscilla doesn’t get funding without Australian star names, and in turn Too Wong Foo probably doesn’t get picked up.In & Out doesn’t get made without Kevin Kline (or ironically without Hanks in Philadelphia).You have movies such as And The Band Played On that still used big name straight actors in leads, and then cast queer actors around them – it’s easy to see such a film not finding funding without that.Brokeback Mountain works because of the casting – I believe those two loved each other, the chemistry is undeniable, and the film got a much wider appeal because of the lead actors.We then move forward to the last few years, with stunning films like God’s Own Country, again directed by a gay man starring straight leads – but the film is a romance, not a “gay” romance – the sexuality of the two main characters is never even brought up as anything other than matter of fact, it’s not aiming for gay cinema, it’s aiming to tell a love story. I think the more we move forwards, the more we’ll see gay actors play gay, (frankly until a few years back it was career suicide to be out and not a stereotype), and straight because it’s more and more become just a thing not a thing.
Brokeback Mountain… I loved it when it came out and saw it recently again loving it even more. The story and actors, yes, but also just the whole look and feel, the pace, the environment… Everything about it is perfect (if tragic) and it will remain a serious oversight it did not get the Oscar (but we all know why).I remember (going off topic now) my roommate and best friend at the time, a straight dude, was a huge movie buff and an Ang Lee fan in particular, yet didn’t want to see it and refused to say out loud why (but we all know why). It are those small things that often hurt more than the ‘big hate’…
Dick Pope is my porn name.
Dick Poop has really done some gorgeous work. This sounds like a beautiful little film. I might have to watch it alone or save it for a couple years. My wife works at a dementia-related nonprofit and is having an extra tough time with work/home separation while she’s stuck working from home.
Seems to be one of those wait years and three come along situations with movies about people dealing with dementia.This looks fantastic, as does The Father with Anthony Hopkins and Falling with Viggo Mortensen staring in and directing Lance Henriksen.
I just saw this movie and, knowing that probably no one is going to see this comment, I just want to say that I did not like it at all. I was excited for it and was expecting a lot from it, which is maybe why I felt so let down.Honestly, though, I didn’t buy Firth and Tucci as a long-term couple. I didn’t see any of the shorthand that communicates “these people have been together for decades”: no nicknames, no preferred snuggling positions, we never saw the home they shared. There was lots of bickering, which I guess counts. If they didn’t keep bombarding us with travel memories then I wouldn’t know they had been together for any length of time. But show, don’t tell, please.
I also didn’t get the sense that these people were particularly gay, either. Aside from one mention of Section 28, there were no signifiers that they interacted with gay history or culture at all. Did they have gay friends? Did they hang out in gay spaces? Was anything in their history together informed by being gay? Aside from, you know, being gay with each other? They could have been replaced with a straight couple and there would have been no difference. And I don’t mean that in a good way.Finally, they should have shown the thing they kept talking about at the end (which I won’t spoil here). It was only the best way to show their love and devotion to each other. But that gets skipped over for an annoyingly ambiguous ending. Was Sam there or not?And finally finally, the soundtrack should have been piano music throughout. I’ll give the movie a pass on this one because I realize it’s a minor point, but it seems like a no-brainer to me. Ugh — such a missed opportunity to tie the whole thing together.Anyway, if anyone reads this: thank you. If not, at least I got it off my chest.
Just replying to say that at least one person read it! I disagree (I thought the film was great and bought them as a couple) but I enjoyed reading your take. I sort of agree about the ending but only because I found the acceptance and compromise of the previous scene to be a good ending point and I don’t think the final scene added anything of interest – ambiguity for the sake of it.
Cool — thanks for letting me know. I was just thinking about how much I missed the sense of community around here, so this was a welcome reply. Glad you liked the movie, even though we disagree. Happy summer!
Same here! I’ll often watch an older film and come here to see if there was a good, meaty AV Club review or article on it and see the hundreds of replies they’d have and the amount of debate and discussion that happened. Miss those days. And thanks – you too!