The title of the movie does not do this film justice as it is a very gritty and realistic portrayal (by Thomas Brodie-Sangster) of a 15 year old boy in Dublin dying of cancer. So many movies of sick/dying children have a saccharine predictable battle-against-the-odds-with-stoicism theme, this one tells it how it really is when a mid-adolescent boy must traverse all the usual challenges of teen peer pressure, bullying, acceptance, sexuality, parents responses to teen growing pains, love, rejection etc all the while facing grueling treatments that leave him bald and gaunt. Anger, acting out and suicidal tendencies mingle with family anxiety, denial and fear in a potent brew of emotion. Into this milieu steps a quirky psychiatrist Dr Adrian King played by Andy Serkas, the 3rd such professional to try and moderate Donald's extreme behavior.
Donald expresses his emotions via sometimes dark and sexualized cartoon superhero type art (hence the title) and this becomes the entry point that the shrink uses to connect with a boy on a nihilistic even suicidal path. Although Sangster was 20 when he played this role, he is very convincing in the role, age and stressful circumstances of the story line. Serkas is brilliant as a psychiatrist who specializes in the mental health of dying patients and shows remarkable flexibility and resilience in dealing with Donald's volatile world.
Having watched a parent die from cancer, this movie captures some of the raw see-sawing emotions loved ones have around a dying person with a superb portrayal of the realities of teenage life woven in.
Donald expresses his emotions via sometimes dark and sexualized cartoon superhero type art (hence the title) and this becomes the entry point that the shrink uses to connect with a boy on a nihilistic even suicidal path. Although Sangster was 20 when he played this role, he is very convincing in the role, age and stressful circumstances of the story line. Serkas is brilliant as a psychiatrist who specializes in the mental health of dying patients and shows remarkable flexibility and resilience in dealing with Donald's volatile world.
Having watched a parent die from cancer, this movie captures some of the raw see-sawing emotions loved ones have around a dying person with a superb portrayal of the realities of teenage life woven in.