‘Uncut Gems’ Producer Oscar Boyson Made a Movie for the Letterboxd Generation
“Our Hero, Balthazar” is not really an elevator-pitch kind of movie. Sure, there’s a log-line: A wealthy New York City teenager ( Jaeden Martell ) who, in a misguided attempt to impress a girl, travels to Texas to try to stop a school shooting. But it’s the describing of it that gets tricky: It’s a black comedy, but also sometimes just a comedy. It’s a thriller and a satire. It’s a commentary on performative activism, gun culture and toxic masculinity. Mostly, it’s just an entertaining ride. Owen Gleiberman, writing for Variety, called it “a cutting, audacious, and at times astonishing movie.” The idea for “Balthazar,” which he co-wrote with Ricky Camilleri, just felt electric, like the movies that made them want to make movies when they were younger. It’s also the kind of that seems to be disappearing from American cinemas and has the makings of a cult classic. “There’s a trend towards sameness and safety and familiarity that is making the movie industry a really uninteresting world to play and create and collaborate in,” …