‘Death of a Superhero’ charts the fantasy journeys of a young man at death’s door

It’s easy to overlook Death of a Superhero, the small indie film starring Thomas Brodie-Sangster as a teenager enduring the final stages of an aggressive cancer. The film, directed by Ian FitzGibbon, didn’t receive a traditional release, although it found success on the festival circuit. Now that the drama is available on subscription services like Netflix and Amazon Instant Video, audiences can enjoy this heartwarming tale.

Brodie-Sangster is a strong actor at such a young age. He’s able to ground his character of Donald in believability, even though the young man prefers to live in a fantasy world. This teenager’s escape from the cancer and the sorrowful looks is to jump away from his family and friends and find solace among his superhero creations. Encouraging him to take such an artistic leap is his therapist, effectively played by Andy Serkis.

As he confronts finality, Donald inevitably works his way through some chapter headings in his own life. He finds a puppy-dog romance at school and leads a somewhat delinquent life, taking his artwork to the neighborhood’s walls. His parents care about his well-being, but they’re unable to process his anger and frustration.

Death of a Superhero definitely enters some dark hallways. Although there is black comedy sprinkled throughout the movie, it’s largely a drama that deals with heavy, heavy issues. As it deals with these topics, there are so many avenues for the film to become an exercise in cliche. Having a character face a terminal illness and seeking help from a therapist are two cinematic mainstays. Audiences know what to expect in these kinds of films, mostly because the subject has been explored many times over. What FitzGibbon’s film does is slow down the pace and let the characters evolve naturally. This is largely a credit to screenwriter Anthony McCarten, who tries his very best to let Donald and his circle of friends live their life, rather than fit into the mold of our expectations.

Does it work all the times? Hardly. There are still some scenes that feel either underdeveloped or too obvious. But, for the most part, Death of a Superhero achieves its goals. It’s a small film dealing with large issues on a small scale (say that three times fast). Somehow, it’s able to add something to the rulebook on films dealing with cancer patients.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

• Death of a Superhero

• 
  

  2012

• Directed by Ian FitzGibbon

• Written by Anthony McCarten

• Starring Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Andy Serkis

• Running time: 97 minutes

• Not Rated

• Rating: