Supernova and Pride

Credit: Bleecker Street

Ah the cinema, hello old friend.

Since reopening to the public, I’ve found myself within their warm and comforting embrace on two occasions. Most recently, my partner and I joined my brother at a screening of Supernova (Harry Macqueen 2021). Fittingly, its release has fallen during pride month, though, not entirely coincidental, I would assume.

The story follows Sam (Colin Firth) and Tusker (Stanley Tucci) as they travel across England in their old RV, revisiting people and places from their past. Since Tusker was diagnosed with dementia two years ago, their time together is now the most crucial thing they have.

Great portions of the films visual style can be seen as a love letter to Britains countryside. A confident grasp of direction from relative newcomer Macqueen treats the audience to some truly stunning cinematography, made possible by the natural beauty of The Lake District in Cumbria. Quick cuts of serene landscapes and a colour palette consumed with deep, natural shades adds a mesmeric quality that couples wonderfully with the films simple and poetic score.

Thematically speaking, the choice to portray the central couple as homosexual, rather than the often more banal heterosexual representation, is a breathe of fresh air. Though the attraction of a LGBQT project is a hot commodity in the current cultural and political climate, at no point does the narrative feel either forced or disingenuous. It only adds genuine depth to an already intriguing storyline.

On that note, however, to say I enjoyed the film would be a somewhat insincere response. While I certainly felt compelled by the poignant narrative on display, the honest truth is that, in its own nature, it’s not a story that one simply enjoys. Instead, it’s one that touches in a manner so delicate you hardly even notice it. It draws you in and holds you there, placing you centrally within the struggles of its two main characters.

Ultimately, this is a deeply human film, in essence and depiction. The interactions between Sam and Tusker are honest and mostly unmarred by the more overdramatic tendencies of cliched romance films. It’s only in the films tragic climax that we see any form of melodrama, and it serves to raise raises real questions about morality and the destructive capabilities of dementia.

During pride month, a film of this nature feels both justified and entirely necessary, offering qualities unique to the romance genre. Praiseworthy in its simplicity and what it manages to accomplish during its relatively short, 90 minute running time, it’s a film that happens with a bang rather than a whimper, much like a supernova.