In Oscar Boyson's darkly comic directorial debut, Our Hero, Balthazar, a Manhattan rich kid and a Texan incel forge a queasy, homoerotic friendship that satirizes both liberal performative activism and red-state gun culture. The film, produced by longtime Safdie brothers collaborator Boyson, takes aim at school shootings, social media, incel communities, self-help gurus, and American salesmanship with a scabrous energy reminiscent of Jason Reitman's early libertarian satires.
Plot and Characters
The story follows Balthazar (Jaeden Martell), a privileged New Yorker who posts tear-soaked videos pretending to be a grieving youth lamenting gun violence. He tries to impress his crush, Eleanor (Pippa Knowles), by enthusiastically role-playing as a victim in school-shooting drills. After blowing his chances by attempting to kiss her while showing raw footage of a massacre, he escalates his efforts. To prove his commitment, he decides to prevent the next bloodbath by catfishing an online troll called deathdealer_16, posing as a comely maiden to lure him into a real-life meeting.
Buddy-Movie Travesty of America's Divide
Deathdealer_16 turns out to be Solomon (Asa Butterfield), a Texan living in a trailer with his grandmother. Initially displeased to see Balthazar, Solomon soon bonds with him over shooting ranges and mutual fascination. The film hits its strongest comedic and dramatic pitch in outlining their queasy interdependence, as Balthazar becomes besotted with Solomon's world and Solomon seeks to prove there's more to him than incel futility. A homoerotic undertone emerges, exemplified by Solomon's line, 'You wait to see the rest of what I'm packing,' after revealing his glove box pistol. The film suggests that resignation to and glorification of gun violence are not so far apart, serving as a buddy-movie travesty of the mutual incomprehension between liberal and red-state America.
Satirical Targets and Performances
Boyson's satire can be blatant, as with the Magnolia-style motivational rallies run by Solomon's silverback father (Chris Bauer), and over-diffuse in its sheer number of targets. However, it is not without good gags, such as Balthazar cloning his mother's voice to filth-chat Solomon, who sends dick pics of his porn star father in return. The film's climax scrabbles for a suitably calamitous conclusion, focusing too much on the incel. This benefits Butterfield, who shows range shifting from schlubby haplessness to good ol' boy posturing, but less so for Martell, equally impressive in his weaseliness. Together, they make an endearing pair: a bipartisan declaration of American incompetence.
Release and Reception
Our Hero, Balthazar is in UK cinemas from 16 July. The film has been noted for its take-no-prisoners approach to sensitive topics, blending comedy with sharp social commentary.
