‘Our Hero, Balthazar' Review: Asa Butterfield and Jaeden Martell in an Unnerving Dark Comedy About American Gun Culture
Social media identities, gun laws and the blue state/red state divide are but some of the issues touched on in Our Hero, Balthazar, the zeitgeist-tapping dark comedy receiving its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. Alternately disturbing and brutally funny, and ending with the sort of capper that perfectly encapsulates its provocative ethos, this marks an auspicious directorial debut for Oscar Boyson.
Not that it's particularly surprising, considering that the tyro director, who co-scripted with Ricky Camilleri, has previously produced such edgy films as Good Time and Uncut Gems. This effort, whose title is a sly riff on Robert Bresson's classic Au Hasard Balthazar, follows in the tradition of those Safdie brothers films that are designed to make you feel uncomfortable.
More from The Hollywood Reporter
'State of Firsts' Review: Trans Congresswoman Sarah McBride Steps Into the Spotlight for a Doc That's More Than Your Average Political Puff Piece
'Andy Kaufman Is Me' Review: Solid but Unrevelatory Doc Uses Puppetry to Tackle the Iconic Comic
'Boy George & Culture Club' Review: An Affectionate Look at the '80s Band and Its Flamboyant Frontman That Entertains but Treads Too Carefully
The title character, superbly played by Jaeden Martell (It, Knives Out), is the sort of rich Manhattan youngster with an indulgent mother (Jennifer Ehle), his own personal life coach (Noah Centineo), and a tony private school education. Social causes don't interest him, but a fellow classmate, Eleanor (Pippa Knowles), very much does. The two become friendly when they both play victims in a mass shooting simulation at their school, each covered in fake blood.
Eleanor's pet cause is gun prevention, so to impress her, Balthazar, or Balthy for short, begins organizing protests and posting emotional videos on the subject online, his acting skills rising to the fore. But Eleanor quickly figures out that he's not really being sincere.
'Are you actually crying?' she asks him after watching one of his tearful videos.
'I think it's nice to be part of a community,' he says.
Balthy's postings come to the attention of a young man in Texas, who taunts him and reveals his intention to commit a mass shooting at his school. In a daring stylistic move, the film then segues to introduce us to Balthy's online tormentor, Solomon, an aspiring 'supplement salesman' who doesn't even have any luck attempting to sell the guns his father gave him because they're lacking serial numbers. He's the sort of lost young man who angrily but unconvincingly denies that he's an incel. And he's brilliantly played by Asa Butterfield (Hugo, Sex Education), nearly unrecognizable with blond hair and goatee, in a revelatory performance.
Convinced that Solomon will make good on his threat, Balthy impulsively travels to Texas and strikes up an IRL relationship with him, looking like a fish out of water. Despite their obvious differences, the two have a strange rapport, with Solomon teaching the urbanite how to shoot guns and telling him, 'You might be the first person I met who's weirder than me.'
Balthy finds himself meeting Solomon's loving, invalid grandmother (the always good Becky Ann Baker) and abusive father (Chris Bauer). He also quickly figures out that Solomon is hardly the threat he claimed to be. 'I thought you were a school shooter!' he exclaims disgustedly. But things inevitably take a darker, violent turn that results in tragedy and a supremely ironic ending.
Director Boyson expertly balances satirical social commentary with emotional truth and complex characterizations, infusing the proceedings with a Hal Ashby-style deadpan dark humor. Channeling the anxieties of a younger generation so infused by online culture that they have trouble separating fantasy and reality, Our Hero, Balthazar is very much a film of its moment.
Best of The Hollywood Reporter
13 of Tom Cruise's Most Jaw-Dropping Stunts
Hollywood Stars Who Are One Award Away From an EGOT
'The Goonies' Cast, Then and Now
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
37 minutes ago
- Yahoo
‘Just Kids' Review: Tender and Informative Doc Examines Impact of Gender-Affirming Care Bans Sweeping the U.S.
Just Kids, Gianna Toboni's commanding documentary, follows a handful of trans children and their families as they navigate a United States increasingly hostile to trans rights and gender-affirming care. The film, which premiered at Tribeca, is an informative and emotionally potent take on a politically salient issue. Toboni spent an early part of her career as a producer for Vice, the documentary series that ran from 2013 until 2021, and elements of Just Kids bear a resemblance to the now sunsetted program. The director's mostly fly-on-the-wall approach to filming these families (cinematography by Daniel Hollis, Love on the Spectrum) lends the doc a gritty realism and an unexpected propulsiveness. More from The Hollywood Reporter 'Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything' Review: Hulu Doc Offers a Solid Overview, but Limited Depth, on the Television Pioneer 'Charliebird,' 'Happy Birthday,' 'Natchez' Top Tribeca Festival Award Winners 'Tow' Review: Rose Byrne's Committed Performance Grounds a Compassionate Portrait of Homelessness But these aesthetic choices never sensationalize the realities of these participants, instead underscoring the harrowing stakes of their experiences. Crucially, Just Kids has a tender core: Its heart lies not in the trauma faced by trans kids trying to get gender-affirming care, but in their resilience and the love that persists in the face of state-sanctioned antagonism. Just Kids opens with an interview with the historian Susan Stryker, one of a handful of talking heads featured in the doc, who offers an overview of the issues facing transgender people in the United States. She talks about the recent waves of gender-affirming care bans and how much information exists about trans people. The issue has become a 'low-hanging fruit' for people hoping to influence elections and drive public policy in a more conservative direction. Conversations with Stryker are stitched alongside those with Kelli Parker, a writer and advocate, to build a sturdy narrative on which the rest of the film relies. They talk about how the advances of the last 20 years — from the election of Barack Obama to the legalization of gay marriage — riled up right-wing groups in the U.S., who declared themselves marginalized as a result of losing these so-called culture wars. They took action in the form of big spending, influencing public officials through elections and think tanks like the Heritage Foundation to take more conservative positions. 'They want the government to reflect them and their ideas,' says Parker of this coalition, 'and so they are passing these laws in an effort to inch this agenda forward.' The results of this aggressive mobilization has been felt in all sectors of American life, particularly when it comes to bodily autonomy. Restrictive policies on abortions go hand-in-hand with hostile policies against trans people. In both cases, the government encroachment is deemed necessary as a way to protect the children. Just Kids asks: Which ones? A central thesis of Toboni's doc concerns how these policies decide which children deserve to exist. It's a heartbreaking point that's underscored by Rae, Alazaiah and Tristan, three trans teenagers trying to survive in conservative parts of the country (South Carolina and Texas). Toboni also interviews their family members, who are supportive of their right to be trans. These parents and siblings are a surprising group, figures subverting expectations of who supports trans rights. Eric, a veteran and second-amendment enthusiast, has a love of country that extends to protecting the rights of his trans son, Rae. Just Kids is filled with scenes of Eric and his wife, Jessica, traveling to different state legislature hearings and testifying against proposed gender-affirming care bans. Zach and Raymond, Alazaiah's brothers, took her in after the death of the 17-year-old's mother so she didn't end up homeless. Together, their testimonies form an inspiring portrait of strength. Toboni complements interviews with these family members with footage of the trans children just living their lives — from Alazaiah excitedly posting to her followers on her TikTok feed and thrifting for new clothes (pink is a requirement) to Rae getting a haircut that makes him feel confident. But the stories also highlight the challenges these families and teens face in accessing state resources and medical care in parts of the country that criminalize their support. For these sections, Toboni talks to Andrea Jenkins, a member of the Minneapolis City Council, and Dr. Elizabeth Mack, the president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, to explore how trans kids face a disproportionate risk of homelessness as well as how many people fundamentally do not understand what constitutes gender-affirming care. Mack's interviews are particularly clarifying because she defines this particular care as any change that makes trans kids feel more like themselves. That explanation hopefully clarifies the fact that all of us affirm our gender every day, from our clothes and haircuts to pills we take to correct hormonal imbalances. In one disheartening scene, Tristan and her mother, Crystal, listen as their doctor tells them that recent laws have forced her to leave Texas and she can no longer provide medical care. Although she was able to write a year-long prescription for estrogen before departing, the abrupt termination leaves Tristan and her mother in a vulnerable situation. They must now consider whether or not to relocate. But the decision is marred by financial precarity: At the moment, Crystal doesn't have enough money to move to a state with more amenable laws. Their story underscores how not everybody can just find a new place to live when facing dehumanizing legislation. Just Kids falls in the category of recent docs like Preconceived and Zurawski v Texas, which premiered at Telluride, that survey how the right has effectively mobilized to dismantle the civil rights progress of the last 50 years. Like these other films, Toboni's feature takes a straightforward approach to uncovering details that will be illuminating for many viewers. One only hopes that it gets in front of the audiences who need to hear its message the most. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 13 of Tom Cruise's Most Jaw-Dropping Stunts Hollywood Stars Who Are One Award Away From an EGOT 'The Goonies' Cast, Then and Now
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Mariska Hargitay will reveal past secrets, new family at 'My Mom Jayne' premiere
Mariska Hargitay will reveal past secrets, new family at 'My Mom Jayne' premiere Mariska Hargitay will introduce her extended family and "My Mom Jayne" at Tribeca Film Festival on June 13. And it's going to be big. The "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" star makes her directing debut with the powerful and poignant documentary about her late mother, actress and bombshell Jayne Mansfield. "My Mom Jayne" airs June 27 on HBO after making its world premiere at May's Cannes Film Festival in France to acclaim and global headlines. Hargitay and her siblings, who speak about their mother for the first time on camera in the documentary, will attend the premiere at Carnegie Hall, which will conclude with a discussion featuring Hargitay. Join our Watch Party! Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox "I'm so excited to share this story and share my gorgeous family, these hearts and souls, with the world," Hargitay tells USA TODAY in an interview for an upcoming profile. "My family is coming in and I can't wait to hold them. Because we have been through something together." Which family members appear in Mariska Hargitay's documentary 'My Mom Jayne'? Hargitay goes on a journey to rediscover her famous mother, who died in 1967 at age 34 in a car crash that has become the tragic fodder of Hollywood legend. Hargitay, 3 at the time, survived the horrific crash along with her two brothers, but has no memories of her mother. In "My Mom Jayne," Hargitay speaks with her older brothers from Mansfield's marriage to bodybuilder and actor Mickey Hargitay − Mickey Jr. and Zoltan − as well as older half-sister Jayne Marie Mansfield (from Jayne's first marriage to Paul Mansfield). The family discusses memories of their mother and life in Mansfield's famed Pink Palace home on Sunset Boulevard, which featured a heart-shaped pool and exotic animals. To complete one family circle, the documentary features Hargitay's youngest half-sibling, Anthony Cimber, from Mansfield's brief marriage to her third husband, Italian director Matt Cimber. Just speaking with the famous family for the first time on camera about the life and death of the complex and misunderstood Mansfield, as well as discussing devoted father Hargitay, would make for a compelling documentary. But there's much more to "My Mom Jayne." 'My Mom Jayne' reveals a secret about Jayne Mansfield that Mariska Hargitay kept for 30 years Most headlines surrounding the documentary have centered on the revelation about Hargitay's biological father, which the actress kept secret for more than three decades. In 1963, Mansfield became romantically involved with singer Nelson Sardelli amid her divorce from Mickey Hargitay. Mansfield and Hargitay reconciled late in 1963, and Mariska was born in January 1964. The actress has always called Hargitay, who lovingly raised her after Mansfield's death, "my rock." (Mickey Hargitay, who died in 2006, even guest-starred on a Season 5 episode of "SVU" with his famous daughter.) However, in the documentary, Hargitay discusses her life-altering discovery that Sardelli was her biological father and recounts her decision to dramatically confront the singer in Atlantic City 30 years ago. There were Hollywood whispers that Sardelli was Hargitay's father, including a mention in a tell-all book about Mansfield written by her former publicist, Rusty Strait (who is also interviewed). But Hargitay and Sardelli came to terms and agreed to keep silent. Until now. Hargitay has remained quietly close to Sardelli and his daughters Giovanna and Pietra, from his marriage to Fledia, his wife of 47 years. Sardelli and Hargitay's newly revealed half-sisters all appear in "My Mom Jayne" and are expected to attend the Tribeca premiere. The revelation of these relationships has been freeing to Hargitay. The "SVU" veteran concedes it was a sometimes "bumpy road to get here. But it has paid off. Once you open the door and shed a bit of light on something, the beauty that comes from the scariest places is extraordinary." Even before heading to the premiere with her family, Hargitay feels relieved that the secret is out. "I feel like this 1,000-pound weight has been lifted," she says. "There's this sense of integration and peace about it. There are all these beautiful heartstrings that connect our hearts together. I'm just taking in the moment now." Who else will attend the Tribeca premiere of 'My Mom Jayne'? Hargitay's husband of more than two decades, actor Peter Hermann, will attend. The couple met on the set of "Law & Order: SVU" and have three children: Miklós Friedrich, Amaya Josephine and Andrew Nicolas. "SVU" stars Ice-T and Christopher Meloni will also support their co-star, along with celebrities including Jon Hamm, Carrie-Anne Moss and Brooke Shields. Where can I stream 'My Mom Jayne'? "My Mom Jayne" airs June 27 on HBO (8 EST/PST) and will stream on HBO Max.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Rock Icon, 69, Looks Youthful in Bold Outfit at NYC Documentary Premiere
Rock Icon, 69, Looks Youthful in Bold Outfit at NYC Documentary Premiere originally appeared on Parade. When it comes to rock stars with style, no one does it better than Billy Idol. On Tuesday, June 10, the 'White Wedding' singer, 69, arrived at the New York City premiere of his documentary, Billy Idol Should Be Dead, rocking an all-black look complete with a skirt, blazer, and trendy boots. Idol completed the look with chunky silver jewelry. As always, his signature bleach blonde hair was spiked to perfection. Billy Idol Should Be Dead is a documentary about the musician's rise to fame in the late 1970s and 1980s. As for the somewhat shocking title of the film, Idol found it quite fitting. 'Well, it's one of those things that people usually say when they don't realize I'm still alive. They actually say that: 'Isn't he dead?' Yeah, I should be dead with everything that I did to myself. But it just made me laugh; the idea of that as the title,' he revealed during an interview with The Ankler earlier this month. 🎬SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox🎬 'I think the documentary has got a depth to it, as we really worked on it over quite a long period of time, mainly because the coronavirus was going on while we were making it. It kept getting stopped for one reason or another from the different waves of the virus,' Idol continued. 'But actually it really helped the documentary in the sense that we were able to massage it and really look at what we had and realize what we needed,' he added. 'I think we've got something really good. I think it's a really great documentary that shows a lot of aspects of my life.' Following the red carpet and premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, Idol is set to Icon, 69, Looks Youthful in Bold Outfit at NYC Documentary Premiere first appeared on Parade on Jun 10, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
