15/12/2011

During adolescence, flirting with danger is a relatively common temptation, but 15-year-old Donald, the main character in the majority German production Death of a Superhero [+see also:
trailer
film profile] has a much deeper reason for risking his life by dodging a train at the last minute or by doing a tightrope walk on a bridge guardrail: he has leukaemia and his chances of survival are minimal. Unveiled at Toronto and shown in competition yesterday at Les Arcs European Film Festival, Irish director Ian Fitzgibbon’s third feature cleverly revamps a classic melodramatic subject by injecting the story with some aggressive animated sequences, which reflect the imagination and drawings of its young protagonist who is tormented by the prospect of death.

These forays into the unconscious give the film an unusual character beneath the rather smooth surface of the intertwined themes linked to adolescence (the quest for love and desire, school, friends, parties, loneliness, parents…) and illness (treatments, hospital, the hope and despair of loved ones, the initiatory sessions reminiscent of Good Will Hunting with the psychologist…).

Scripted by Anthony McCarten based on his own novel, Death of a Superhero centres on Donald (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) who tries to dispel his torment with art through a superhero character harassed by the Machiavellian The Glove and his assistant, an erotic, leather-clad nurse. These are all symbols of his illness that haunt his nightmares, with cemetery and syringe pit at the ready.

In reality, the teenager, who almost always wears a hat to hide his medical baldness, tries to keep up a good outward appearance at school and outside. But despite the encouragement of his parents who are hoping for a remission, the idea of suicide hangs over him ("I’m not going to die like an old lady", "Mum, look at me, I’m done for") and he has to undergo therapeutic support that will gradually resolve his inner conflicts (with Andy Serkis as the psychologist). For Donald is also a teenager like any other and he’d like to go out with a girl for the first time, a desire that is all the more intense as the circle of his life is becoming smaller. So he gets closer to the rebellious Shelly (Aisling Loftus), but nothing will be easy while the image of the broken hourglass looms over them.

Given rhythm by numerous musical sequences (often taken directly from the protagonist’s iPod), softened by the luminous cinematography (by DoP Tom Fährmann) and carried by the charisma of its lead actor, Death of a Superhero manages to overcome some less convincing elements (in particular the "obligatory" resolution of family and emotional problems). In the end, this film, occasionally electrified by animation, leaves a mark and the impression of an interesting mix, even though the experiment is not entirely successful.

Produced by Germany’s Bavaria (who are also handling international sales) and Ireland’s Grand Pictures, Death of a Superhero will be released theatrically in 2012.

(Translated from French)