Selfish genes and emotional fetters are the two great forces of human nature. On the way to the destined heartbreaking terminal, neither method seems to be the best farewell.
Supernova refers to a violent explosion that occurs when certain stars are approaching the end of their evolution. This process is extremely bright, and the sudden electromagnetic radiation in the process can illuminate the entire galaxy. The film with this title tells and explores the story of the end of life from a small, ordinary and quiet perspective.
Sam (Firth) and Tusker (Tucci) took a cute dog and drove a semi-old RV across England to the Lake District to attend Sam's piano recital. The film does not tell us the background of the story straightforwardly, but Sam's emphasis on packing the luggage by himself, the panic when shopping at a convenience store alone, and two people pretending to be in the RV to record the dementia time tape for the BBC 4. Through the patchwork of these details and conversations, we learn that Sam and Tusker are lovers who have lived together for many years. Sam is a pianist, and Tusker is a writer and amateur astronomer. Tusker is suffering from early-onset dementia and the condition is getting worse, so another purpose of this trip is that Tusker wants to take this last trip to relive the old days with Sam and visit family and friends again. From the very beginning, the film used a minimalist approach, highlighting the feelings between the characters through close-up shots of a pair of holding hands and unextended silence. This lingering blank space is still the same even when visiting Sam's hometown halfway through the trip. Tusker briefly pulled away from the party he arranged for Sam and the conversation with Clive to this point seemed to tell us that he had arranged for Sam other than this surprise party.
This is the second work written and directed by the director Macqueen. In an interview, he said that the reason he wanted to create such a film about dementia was related to his personal experience. After witnessing such incidents to his relatives and friends in his life, he thought about whether he could be prepared and whether there was a more humane way of saying goodbye when his life inevitably reached the end. Although the background story of this film is like a cloud of dark clouds covering the beautiful scenery of the English Lake District, he is particularly restrained in his way of telling. Regarding the conversations that we should often cook in the past, the noise of sleeping on the cot, and the small complaints about the works of both sides, the director succeeded in making us forget the protagonist’s gay identity, and it became clear that the couple on the paper were funny and loving each other. And ordinary lover. Firth and Tucci have been acquainted for many years in life. The film first found Tucci to play Sam, and he transferred it to Firth after reading the script. After reading the script, Frith felt that the two people should switch roles. According to his own words, the two of them also auditioned for this, and found that Tucci could catch both roles. Both of them gave excellent performances in this quiet, restrained and forbearing movie, not so much a behavioral performance as an emotional expression.
The emotional climax of the movie comes when Sam discovers another secret arrangement of Tusker. The two people have completely different arrangements and ideas for the final farewell, but behind these two different ideas are the same love and the selfishness hidden in them. The final farewell of life, no matter how you arrange, how to decorate, and how to pretend, there is no best arrangement. Not only is the end of life and grace and dignity are not a dime, but also because at that moment we cannot withdraw from each other's feelings. However, we should indeed make arrangements for our own affairs as early as possible. When you see him in the ICU who has been lying there naked for more than two months, with a stomach tube in his nose and a ventilator in his throat, every breath seems to use the last of his body's strength, and one more time When begging you to take him home through the handwriting screen over and over again, you don't know whether you should be fortunate or upset that there was no quick decision at that time. Sometimes he is conscious and looks at you with eyes that are almost crying, begging to go home, sometimes he falls into hallucinations and doesn't know where he is, and sends you a text message that he is secretly detained and asks you to save him.
The selfish gene allows you to temporarily forget about him who suffered in the ICU, and is full of hope that he can recover. Emotional fetters make you unable to accept the possibility of him leaving like this, because it will even deprive you of the possibility of saying goodbye in the end. Yes, death is the truth and cruelty. It has nothing to do with elegance and dignity. It is often mixed with the smell of air, dryness in the mouth, and struggle in the heart. You want him to do everything possible to live until the end. However, on the road that is destined to pass the end of heartbreak, there is no way to have the best of both worlds. Supernova, this quiet movie may be forgotten in this awards season, but the discussion on how to face death is particularly important at this moment.
What is the final farewell you want? The smile with tears is still the endless silence.
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