Hectic Gun Violence Satire Benefits From Not Shooting Straight

The manic new independent feature “Our Hero, Balthazar” turns the stories often associated with school shootings into a gleefully irreverent dark comedy. Never mocking the massacres themselves, the film satirizes the excesses surrounding their occurrence, such as media outpourings, hero narratives, and prevention measures that address everything except the proliferation of guns. With such a controversial subject, the film seems destined to elicit outrage, opposition, or accusations of bad taste.Uproarious in all senses of the word, the movie is epitomized by a line spoken in an early scene: “Anybody taking this seriously?” First-time director Oscar Boyson and his co-screenwriter Ricky Camilleri could certainly be accused of insensitivity, though their wicked sense of humor and the film’s brash imagery conceal real disgust with aspects of modern America, including digital obsession, victim mentality, toxic masculinity, and, of course, gun culture.Centered on two troubled boys, the film begins in New York with the titular “hero” Balthazar. The first scene depicts the teen recording and uploading a social media reel in his room about being lonely before being ushered into a political mixer by his mom. Next we see a school shooting simulation conducted at his high school and his “meet-cute” moment during the drill with Eleanor, a fellow student who challenges the statements of a security professional. Back in the upscale, modern Manhattan apartment he lives in with his mother, he records another video about a recent school shooting, willing himself to cry.One day, he invites Eleanor to his home and shows her his social media video related to the recent school shooting, with the savvy girl questioning his sincerity and motives. He also shows her a video he was sent by an internet troll featuring disturbing security footage from said shooting, a recording not seen by many. Tellingly, this video never appears on screen, with Mr. Boyson respecting the subject enough not to recreate a mass shooting. Further contact with the sender of the video leads Balthazar to the conclusion that this person is planning a shooting, without realizing he’s being trolled. Soon he creates a fake profile of a beautiful, raunchy young woman in order to continue communicating with this potential shooter, and subsequently decides to go to Texas to meet up with him in a misguided attempt to prove his commitment to the cause of gun control and impress Eleanor.After this quick-moving, dynamic first part focused on Balthazar, the filmmakers segue to the life of Solomon, the Texan teen whom the New Yorker is catfishing. Scenes from Solomon’s life before and during his text exchanges with Balthazar sketch out a desperate existence: he lives with his disabled grandmother in a trailer park; he gets fired from his job at the gas station mini mart for creeping out his female coworker; and he reconnects with this estranged father only to be pressured into joining a pyramid scheme pushing testosterone-simulating supplements. The “poverty porn” tone of some of these scenes could be interpreted as condescending, even as it works in tandem with the withering looks at wealth and privilege in the earlier section.Another reason why the scenes with Solomon prove compelling and even honest is due to Asa Butterfield’s acting. An young Englishman known for his roles in Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo” and the Netflix comedy “Sex Education,” Mr. Butterfield embodies a Texan with astonishing behavioral detail, vocal accuracy, and an admirable lack of vanity or self-consciousness. Sporting reddish hair and glasses, the actor gives a truly transformative performance, confirming his ability to disappear in a role.As spoiled rich kid Balthazar, Jaeden Martell (“It”) is just as captivating and convincing, if more aloof. Once the two characters meet and Balthazar comes clean about the phoney profile, the two start to hang out, with Solomon denying that he’s planning a school shooting, though he admits to thinking about it and even drawing a map. He also admits to going through “a lot of phases,” and the film suggests a gay curiosity in the ostensibly straight boys. Beyond general horniness and solitude, the two share a certain social awkwardness, a confused grasp of the world, and a desire for acceptance that can be touching when not coming off as pathetic and funny. Societal expectations emerges as a central theme, with masculinity and hero worship related concerns, particularly in scenes involving Solomon’s dad, Beaver (Chris Bauer), who is a dishonest, aggressive figure. Its view of colliding blue and red state stereotypes is also trenchant, hinting at a cockeyed codependency. The issue of addiction pops up as well, including the prescription drug kind. All these topics arise, though, in an almost flippant manner, in line with the 1980s-style teen movie score and hectic yet dexterous handheld camerawork, which reveals how Mr. Boyson learned a thing or two while producing a few Safdie brothers’ films. It’s not until the tail end of the movie that the film drops its satirical sting for sustained drama and gravity. The climax and epilogue each reach for a profundity and irony that feels rather trite and obvious, but the scene that occurs just before these sequences astounds. With Balthazar near him, Solomon threatens to shoot his father over his mistreatment and swindling. What transpires not only speaks to the friendship they’ve developed but also the fundamental differences between them, and how even heroes can possess the same traits as villains.

Hectic Gun Violence Satire Benefits From Not Shooting Straight

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