Supernova is another gem to be added to a long line of LGBTQ titles. It tells the story of a middle-aged gay couple setting off on a road trip. Tusker (Stanley Tucci) is a writer struggling with an early onset dementia diagnosis. Sam (Colin Firth), his partner of 20 years and a pianist, drives him around the lake district countryside in a camper van.
Despite Tusker’s condition progressively taking a toll on his cognitive status—therefore complicating things between the two—the couple manages to have a semi-enjoyable holiday, aided by a stop-over at Sam’s childhood home, where they are greeted by Sam's family, a powerful emotional support network.
Director Harry Macqueen’s storytelling centers on selfless loyalty and unconditional love, which are some of the most resistant foundations of a long-term relationship—even more so when it comes to battling a neurodegenerative illness. Needless to say, the dominant feeling of hopelessness stemming from Tusker’s illness does not erode the unbearable amount of love that Sam feels for him. If anything, it only makes it stronger.
However, the director’s narrative is not solely drenched in the romantic spark that brought Tusker and Sam together in the first place, it also encompasses each and every element of a healthy partnership enduring the burden of an incurable illness. Tusker slowly but inexorably gets lost in himself, pressured by the incumbent fear of the passing of time, his cerebral mortality, and forgetting the precious memories he has been collecting over 20 years with his beloved. Sam seems rather adamant about sticking by his partner until the very end, even after shockingly finding out the disturbingly dark reason why Tusker has been rather discreet about his latest writing and would refrain from showing it to anyone.
Sporadically, thanks to Tusker’s pungent and witty nature which seems to be left mostly untouched by his illness, the story walks a fine line between a ‘dramedy' and a drama. By relying upon dramatic, reflective silences and unique camera work, the director brilliantly conveys how Tusker’s condition not only impacts the relationship at large but also how the unstoppable disease affects the characters individually.
Despite the director’s decision to cast straight actors, Tucci and Firth perfectly channel the sempiternal bond coexisting within such a deep partnership, a connection that does not dissipate at the sight of a hefty liability such as Tusker’s condition, even more so after probably living through years of societal discrimination and stigma. Highly Recommended.