A film that has been picking up quite a bit of steam lately is Death of a Superhero, one of the better reviewed movies coming out of last year's Toronto Film Festival. Although if you just listen to the plot it might sound rather conventional, especially in the wake of 50/50. Thomas Sangster(remember the little boy from Love Actually?) plays Donald, a 15-year old aspiring comic book artist who is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Of course he wants to experience the things every kid does before he dies, namely have sex. Cue the scenes of him with a potential love interest having revelatory conversations on rooftops and zipping through town on a motorcycle.
So yeah, it looks and sounds familiar, even up to the screaming bit between Sangster and Andy Serkis(playing an actual human for once!) as his psychiatrist. What separates this from other films is the reality blurring introduction of Donald's art as he slips further into a fantasy world to escape the pain of life. It reminds me a little bit of The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys in that way.
The first full trailer has been released ahead of the film's release VOD release on April 17th. A limited theatrical run follows on May 4th, but hopefully we'll catch it at Tribeca....
