Supernova

Harry Macqueen’s second feature film, Supernova, stars Colin Firth (Sam) and Stanley Tucci (Tusker) who play long-term partners who decide to go on a road-trip to the north of England to visit friends and family in their ancient campervan.

The film explores the couple’s relationship and the significant adjustments and decisions that need to be addressed since Tusker was diagnosed with early-onset dementia.

A masterclass in ‘show, don’t tell’ film making, Macqueen draws the audience into Sam and Tusker’s private world of impending grief. An early scene set in a motorway service station with a dreary exterior of the British countryside is a delicious slice of social realism and is packed with backstory. Here we learn Sam is a concert pianist and we also note the leftover food on Tusker’s plate, next to Sam’s empty one. What is beautifully structured here is the fact that Tusker’s lack of appetite isn’t commented on by either of them. This image feels almost incidental but is a subtle visual note to the audience that Tusker may be gravely ill.

This is an intriguing and intense drama being played out in mundane settings such as a supermarket carpark and the interior of the couple’s mobile home, whilst being set against the majestic and foreboding backdrop of the Lake District in autumn.

There are a few gentle reveals that unfold and a devastating secret that is uncovered that propels the film towards its final scenes. Despite the subject matter there are many light and sweet moments between the couple and their inner circle. The director spent a significant period researching dementia and it shows on screen through the delicate points of interaction, the awkwardness of those close to them, through to the gamut of emotions the two men experience as they try to navigate the challenges the illness has and will thrust upon them as time goes on.

Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci are faultless in their portrayals of Sam and Tusker. Their bickering and teasing are downbeat and naturalistic, as are their expressions of love, anger and frustration at the decease and at each other. Interestingly, both actors read for both parts and either would have delivered a stellar performance, however, it is a testament to their talent that we can’t imagine it being cast any other way, such is the believability of their relationship on screen.

Veteran cinematographer, and long-standing Mike Leigh collaborator, Dick Pope, knocks the ball out of the park with his stylised and muted tones which create a heightened sense of the Lake District during the rainy season. His camera work complements the narrative by producing an overcast colour palette, suggesting a lull before the storm. The camera lingers sensitively on shots before cutting out and Pope’s frames often carry more information about the story and characterisation, than a script line ever could.

Supernova deftly sidesteps an overly sentimental take on early onset dementia and instead leaves the audience to ponder what it means to have authorship of your own life story.