FILM
“Supernova” Shows Dementia’s Impact
Gay couple embarks on a road trip before it is too late
BY STEVE ERICKSON
British director Harry
Macqueen’s “Supernova”
lights a very long
fuse. A gay couple, Sam
(Colin Firth) and Tusker (Stanley
Tucci), take a road trip through
England while Tusker’s dementia
is still fairly manageable.
At the start of “Supernova,”
Tusker has been living with dementia
for two years. Sam is a
composer and pianist preparing a
major concert. He has put his music
career on pause to take care of
Tusker. Their road trip is intended
as a goodbye to family and friends
while Tusker’s mind is still relatively
coherent. As they travel, they
reconnect with their past, while
being confronted with the fact that
their future consists of Tusker’s increasing
deterioration.
The fi lm is determined to show
Stanley Tucci (left) stars as Tusker, who suffers from dementia, and Colin Firth (right) stars as Sam.
us how serious its intent is: The
cinematography is desaturated,
the color scheme autumnal. In
its interiors, real people would
BLEECKER STREET
probably turn on more lights.
Macqueen chooses his close-ups
and two-shots with great care. At
worst, it feels like he’s engaging in
a watered-down version of a festival
cinema aesthetic; at best, he
conjures up a pained, melancholy
ache.
But when “Supernova” arrives on
a plot twist two-thirds of the way
through, it becomes apparent that
the fi lm’s true subject is emotional
repression and that’s what happens
when it becomes untenable.
In the fi rst scene, Sam and Tusker
are shown naked in bed together.
In the second, they are bickering
on the road. This combination suggests
what the fi lm’s aiming for,
and some of what holds it back.
The sheets are carefully arranged
to cover the actors’ genitalia, preserving
the obligatory sexlessness
of “mainstream” LGBTQ cinema.
Their relationship is introduced by
suggesting both love and tension.
The tone of “Supernova” is
➤ JUMP, continued on p.31
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