SUPERNOVA

BY: Amanda Jane Stern

Get ready to bawl your eyes out, because Supernova is going to break your heart. Sam (Colin Firth), a musician, and Tusker (Stanley Tucci), a celebrated novelist, have been together for 20 years. When Tusker is diagnosed with early-onset dementia, they take a break from work and embark on a road trip across England in an RV. The couple want to reunite with old friends and family before it is too late. Knowing that this trip may very well be their last together, they must face the future of their relationship.

A trailer for the Harry Macqueen-helmed movie was recently released, and yes, the preview alone will make you cry. In it, we meet Sam and Tusker, a couple so deeply in love, who are grappling with Tusker’s ever-worsening condition. The film will undoubtedly appeal to fans of slow-burn dramas and quiet character studies. It feels reminiscent of an intimate stage play, well-suited to either a big screen or watching alone at home.

Supernova marks Macqueen’s, who got his start as an actor, second directorial project. His first film, Hinterland, was another slow-burn character-driven film that followed two friends (Macqueen and Lori Campbell) rekindling their relationship after years apart. Supernova had its world premiere on September 22, 2020, at the San Sebastián International Film Festival. Preliminary reviews for the film are positive, with the Guardian writing that “Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci dazzle as a couple facing their fears” As of now, there is no release date for the U.S., but it’s scheduled to be released in the U.K. on November 27, 2020.