OPINION | REVIEW: 'Supernova'

In Harry Macqueen’s “Supernova,” Sam (Colin Firth) and Tusker (Stanley Tucci) play a couple wrestling with early-onset dementia.
In Harry Macqueen’s “Supernova,” Sam (Colin Firth) and Tusker (Stanley Tucci) play a couple wrestling with early-onset dementia.

"Supernova" is deeply affecting but its bombastic title is a misdirection.

This is Harry Macqueen's second feature film as a director, but there is a dearth of loud "Oscar Clip" moments. With actors as good as Oscar-winner Colin Firth and Oscar-nominee Stanley Tucci, Macqueen can make a film that concentrates on small, even mundane moments and make them engrossing. Watching either of them fumbling with sheets of paper is more involving than hearing a lot of performers bellow soliloquies. An actor himself, Macqueen has an unerringly sharp ear for dialogue, but saves the verbal gymnastics for when they matter.

That said, "Supernova" deals with weighty stakes, even if they aren't immediately obvious. The movie begins with the two men sleeping contently in the bed they've apparently shared for ages. In the silence, they seem so close that it's initially hard to comprehend what happens next.

Tusker (Tucci) meticulously fusses with a map as a haggard Sam (Firth) tries to keep their mobile home on the road. The two bicker about the quirks in British radio (Tusker is an American expatriate), and briefly they seem to be on the outs as a couple. As their trip progresses, it's obvious their love is still there, even if they don't talk much about it anymore.

At road stops, Tusker shares quips with waitresses, while the reserved Sam has to take occasional breaks. It's tempting to think that Sam, a semi-retired classical pianist, is sick, but there's a reason he's driving.

Macqueen provides a minimum of clinical explanations; we learn that Tusker, despite his energy and lean, athletic frame, is living with dementia. Casual observers might not notice that anything is wrong with him, but buttoning a shirt and writing have become challenging for him.

He makes clever wisecracks about his condition, but the pain of losing his memories and his ability to process his thoughts is obvious. If Sam seems spent, it's because taking care of Tusker, who wanders off without explanation, is increasingly demanding.

Macqueen provides just enough breadcrumbs to arouse a viewer's curiosity, but thankfully avoids spoon feeding the audience about the status of their relationship. Tusker's memory lapses are remarkably low-key, but Macqueen and Tucci never lose sight of how heavy his struggle is. This approach allows Tusker dignity enough that we share his sense of loss.

Similarly, Firth can convey carrying a burden Atlas would find heavier than his own. The disease is progressive and incurable. The two will have to say goodbye at some point, but the task gets increasingly harder by the second.

By trusting his actors, Macqueen coaxes the audience into powerful if awkward emotional territory. The soundtrack, which includes Firth's own playing, is loaded with carefully chosen tunes. Thankfully, Macqueen and composer Keaton Henson don't use the score to bludgeon viewers into what they should feel. We can get in touch with our own emotions quite easily. Veteran cinematographer Dick Pope, who's best known for his work with Mike Leigh, gets the most out of the British countryside, while effortlessly capturing Tucci and Firth's muted fireworks.

The film derives its name from Tusker's fascination with astronomy. There are few explosive utterances in "Supernova," but there is a relentless sense of awe at what the universe has to offer even if it shortchanges us by forcing us to deal with mortality.

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‘Supernova’

88 Cast: Colin Firth, Stanley Tucci, Pippa Haywood, Peter MacQueen, Nina Marlin, Ian Drysdale, Sarah Woodward, James Dreyfus

Director: Harry Macqueen

Rating: R for, language.

Running time: 1 hour, 33 minutes

Playing theatrically.

In the melancholic but powerful tale of love and grief, longtime partners Sam (Colin Firth) and Tusker (Stanley Tucci) have to come to terms with saying goodbye.
In the melancholic but powerful tale of love and grief, longtime partners Sam (Colin Firth) and Tusker (Stanley Tucci) have to come to terms with saying goodbye.

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