Supernova

If you have ever loved anyone, just the thought of losing them can bring out the emotions.  Loss though is inevitable and you might ask yourself is losing someone over time any better than losing someone suddenly? In Harry Macqueen’s new film Supernova we get to witness a couple who have been together twenty years grapple with one of them trying to hold on to the other, who is slowly being taken by a disease.

Sam (Colin Firth) and Tusker (Stanley Tucci), have had a happy life together. Sam, who is a musician and Tusker, who is a writer have been through a lot as a couple, but their latest journey has been the hardest. While everything seems good, it doesn’t take long for you to realize something is wrong when Sam loses Tusker, only to find him confused on the roadside. It is then you learn Tusker has early onset dementia and as he starts to forget simple things like what to call a triangle, he and Sam have decided that what they need is a road trip down memory lane. The reason for the trip is that Sam has a concert to perform and it has presented the perfect opportunity for the couple to get in their old RV and take a trip to places that mean something. Those places include a secluded spot on a lake they once stayed the night and the home Sam grew up in. For both, the trip represents something different, as Sam is committed to taking care of Tusker for as long as is needed, but for Tusker, this trip is the beginning of the end, because in his words, “ You’re not supposed to mourn somebody when they are still alive.” It is at the halfway point that Sam discovers Tusker’s real plan and the trip becomes less about holding on and more about Sam letting go.

Telling a story about the slow loss of someone you love, doesn’t sound like a very appealing way to spend your evening. Macqueen though never lets Supernova  become a depressing slog of a movie, even with its bleak subject matter. That is mainly because of Firth and Tucci, each bring out the best in each other and both incredible in their roles. The heart of the film belongs to Firth, who is dealing with the loss of the one thing he loves, but it is Tucci who can bring the emotions with even the slightest facial expressions that will hit you the hardest. Together, Macqueen, Firth and Tucci deliver a film that if you have a beating heart will get to you in one way or another. Time is a precious thing and when we forget that, a story like Supernova comes along and reminds us of this, and to spend the time we can with the ones we love, because we don’t know what tomorrow might bring.