SUPERNOVA marks actor Harry Macqueen’s second feature as a director following his highly regarded debut “Hinterland”. Macqueen comments: “It is a huge honour to be premiering the film at San Sebastian this year. Supernova is a film about how love overcomes even the hardest human experiences and what we are willing to sacrifice for the people we adore. It is a romantic and life-affirming film, which at a time like this seems more important than ever.”
Written by Harry Macqueen and produced by Emily Morgan of Quiddity Films (“I Am Not a Witch”, “Makeup”) and Tristan Goligher of The Bureau (“45 Years”, “Lean on Pete”, “Only You”, “Weekend”). Development was initiated by Morgan with research and screenwriting support from The Wellcome Trust and Quiddity’s BFI Vision Award before partnering with The Bureau. Financiers are BBC Films and the BFI, awarding National Lottery funding. Executive Producers are Eva Yates, Mary Burke, and Vincent Gadelle.
After the superb The Father the other day I finally got the chance to check out Supernova which is another film that delves into the world of dementia as we are introduced to partners of 20 years Sam (Colin Firth) and Tusker (Stanley Tucci), who are on holiday. The couple is travelling across England in their old campervan visiting friends, family and places from their past. After Tusker was diagnosed with young-onset dementia two years ago they have had to change their way of living, as they give up their jobs and put their plans on hold. Their time together is now the most important thing they have.
As their journey progresses we see moments when Tusker is showing more signs of his dementia such as forgetting what things are and making excuses that he’s not in the mood for finishing his novel when in reality it is loss of memory and some of the simple functions that are causing him not to finish.
As the trip progresses their individual ideas for their future begin to collide. Secrets are uncovered, private plans unravel and their love for each other is tested like never before. Ultimately, they must confront the question of what it means to love one another in the face of Tusker’s irreparable illness.
Both Firth and Tucci put on some wonderful performances in this delightful drama, as with any film that looks at coping with dementia it is emotional and really touches on the heartstrings, as we discover some of the secrets that Tusker is hiding from Sam we are pulled into the story further as they journey in the campervan to some of the locations that they loved when they first met.
One of the scenes that I found really moving and had a wonderful performance from Colin Firth is when Tusker is about to make a speech to family and friends but he stumbles on the speech, Sam takes over the speech and you can see the emotion in his eyes and the love for Tusker as he reads out the speech, a scene beautifully performed by Stanley Tucci and Colin Firth.
Supernova is certainly a film that deserves all the praise it is getting with its superb cast, very moving story, lovingly shot around the Lake District in Cumbria, the film is one that those of us that live with a loved one that has dementia will know how the characters feel, although I wasn’t as emotional as I was watching The Father, Supernova still had me with moments of my eyes watering up at some of the wonderful scenes portrayed on the screen by Firth and Tucci.
Writer and Director Harry Mcqueen has brought us a wonderful film that is not only a delight to watch it is also one that has you thinking about the signs of dementia and how you would cope if your loved one was going through the same.
SUPERNOVA, starring Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci and directed by Harry Macqueen and is certainly worth checking out in the cinema, it’s one of those short and powerful dramas that will touch your emotions right from the start.
Powerful performances from Firth and Tucci
Movie title: Supernova (2021)
Movie description: Sam and Tusker are travelling across England in their old campervan to visit friends, family and places from their past. Since Tusker was diagnosed with dementia two years ago, their time together is the most important thing they have.
Date published: June 30, 2021
Country: UK
Duration: 1h 33min
Director(s): Harry Macqueen
Actor(s): Colin Firth, Stanley Tucci, Pippa Haywood
Genre: Drama, Romance
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
