LFF 2020: Supernova
LFFFor his sophomore feature Supernova, director Harry Macqueen has paired together two great acting talents for a queer road trip drama. Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci play Sam and Tusker, lovers of over twenty years. Art clearly runs through their veins: Sam is a pianist on his way to play a show and Tusker is a novelist, attempting to work on his next book. The duo (and their dog) head off across England in a camper van for Sam’s gig, whilst stopping off along the way to reconnect with family and friends. All this happens whilst the two men are coming to terms with the fact that Tusker is suffering through the stages of early dementia.
Firth and Tucci are very much the core of this film, which is why it’s disappointing that they’re not at all convincing as a couple. Firth, in particular, seems that he’s not even convinced himself that he can play this role. He rarely feels present or in the scene; his beard being one of his more memorable features. It’s hard to decide whether or not some weak lines of dialogue play into this, but it feels like the blame can be shared evenly. Tucci is better, but he is given a lot more meat to chew. Aside from a speech scene at a dinner table – easily one of the movie’s better moments – the dementia isn’t fully played on during the film. Instead, it’s more about preparing for how that will affect this relationship, and that’s where Tucci manages to tap onto some emotion and deliver a slightly better performance.
Other than Sam and Tusker and several non-impressionable family members at a dinner party, the only real other character is the location. The English countryside has always been an enjoyable backdrop for small human dramas such as this. Huge, wide shots capture beautiful rivers, valleys, woods – all unspoiled even with this a little rundown camper van trundling through the majority of them. Some nicer touches come right off the bat: the movie opens with a black canvas, slowly being filled with spots of light and stars. The night sky and the cosmos have a solid role in the film and the sweeter moments of the movie occur during the observation of the stars, giving a slightly different aspect of the countryside than is typically seen in film.
Macqueen proves himself a competent director, but not so much a writer. He seems particularly fond of a jib shot but utilises them in a seamless manner to the conversation taking place. The majority of these, of course, come from the star gazing chats happening whilst the characters are laying down on the grass; the camera explicitly takes the point of view of the stars and, thus, people, as Tusker is one to believe all people are made from stardust. Yet, for every well shot scene, there is a stiff line of dialogue or an awkward attempt at comedy. Sam and Tusker’s relationship never really feels fleshed out, either. There are talks of holidays and adventures from the past but there’s no real sign of connection in the present. The only emotion and love shown seems to be a cardboard cutout copy of someone else's relationship, rather than Sam and Tusker being two real life people themselves.
There’s nothing particularly wrong with Supernova but, unfortunately, there are no real standout moments either.