Film Critique – Our Protagonist, Balthazar (2025)

      **Our Hero, Balthazar, 2025**

      Directed by Oscar Boyson.

      Featuring Jaeden Martell, Asa Butterfield, Jennifer Ehle, Pippa Knowles, Chris Bauer, Anna Baryshnikov, Noah Centineo, Becky Ann Baker, Avan Jogia, David M. Raine, Abby Pauly, and Will River.

      **SYNOPSIS:**

      The story centers on a privileged teenager from New York City who, in an attempt to impress his activist crush, travels to Texas based on an online connection, believing he has the power to prevent an impending act of extreme violence.

      Balthazar (Jaeden Martell), the affluent protagonist, is a high school student whose wealth and a politically involved single mother (Jennifer Ehle) leave him largely to fend for himself. With most of the parenting handled by life coach Anthony (Noah Centineo), he finds himself isolated without friends, utilizing his talent for emotional online performances regarding school shootings to seek sympathy and attention.

      Titled **Our Hero, Balthazar** and directed with a raw intensity by Oscar Boyson, who co-wrote the screenplay with Ricky Camilleri, the film explores Balthazar's social awkwardness and his misguided belief that stopping violence will grant him acceptance, popularity, and heroism, alongside impressing his activist crush, Eleanor (Pippa Knowles).

      On another narrative thread, Asa Butterfield portrays Solomon, a troubled individual with firearms, significant issues, and a craving to reconnect with his estranged father (Chris Bauer) while trying to market a questionable product to gain his approval and support his grandmother (Becky Ann Baker).

      There's ambiguity surrounding whether Solomon might become a school shooter, which intrigues Balthazar from afar. Butterfield's portrayal showcases a dramatic transformation, effectively shedding his past boyish charm and family-friendly image. His performance instills confidence in his versatility as an actor.

      The film presents a sometimes darkly humorous story that highlights the tragic and pathetic realities of these two men with differing ages and backgrounds. It not only observes their sad existences but also critiques the horrifying ways individuals can manipulate each other, both online and face-to-face. The focus is particularly on the implications of technology and social media, emphasizing how such power has exacerbated the influence of sociopathic behaviors, compounded by the rise of AI.

      Despite the ethically questionable nature of both characters, the filmmakers avoid overt moralizing, instead reveling in the absurdities of their escapades. The writing refrains from labeling them as losers overtly, allowing their actions and the storytelling to reflect their flawed nature and the factors that led them there, providing a harsh, yet humorously blunt commentary. While the narrative zips along, Balthazar's backstory remains somewhat vague in contrast to Solomon's, leaving much about what initially troubled Balthazar unexplored.

      How **Our Hero, Balthazar** develops from its initial premise is less significant for this review; what stands out is its exhilarating yet sobering exploration of damaged lives. The discovery that the film had premiered at Tribeca last year before the release of *Eddington* is both unexpected and fitting; it presents a narrative focused on disenchanted teenagers rallying for a cause with hopes for personal gain, while maintaining a distinct voice rather than imitating that motif.

      At times, the abundance of ideas may make it feel as though Boyson and Camilleri didn't fully capitalize on them, suggesting alternative narrative possibilities. Nevertheless, the journey undertaken is sufficiently chaotic and resonates deeply, tackling themes of male loneliness, the deterioration of online social interactions, shallow activism, and fractured family dynamics. It invites the audience to both laugh and feel horror concurrently.

      **Flickering Myth Rating** – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★

      Robert Kojder