Superhero

by Sean Hill

SUPERHERO was not what I was expecting. Given the title and an over saturation of superhero movies these days I assumed that this was going to be a low budget take on the genre. Nothing can be further from the truth. This is an excellent short film by writer/ director Langley McArol and was the winner of the Audience Choice Award & the Francis McNally Creativity Award at the 2012 Reach Out Film Showcase Festival in New York

This short story involves Jeremy, a terminally ill boy and his mother Isabelle Champion (no doubt symbolic) who in an effort to help Jeremy cope with his illness tells stories to him about a superhero named Mighty Celestial whose purpose is to protect Jeremy from things that seek to do him harm and give him the courage to face his fears. Jeremy is an outcast at school and while the other kids are playing at recess he likes to read graphic novels. He is picked on by one boy in particular and in Jeremy's imagination we see Mighty Celestial coming to his aide once again. This gives him the courage to stand up to the bully.

Although the story is about Jeremy his mother, played very well by Tammy Arnold, is the main character of the story. In a very good scene, she displays the toughness and sensitivity that it would take to raise and protect Jeremy. She is a single mother and there has never been a father figure in Jeremy's life. Isabelle seems very capable at handling both roles. She is the superhero of the film's title but I'm sure she would never think of herself in those terms.

The strength of a short film lies with the desire of wanting more once the film is over. I wanted more. I wanted to know more about little Jeremy and how he copes with his illness, and I wanted to know more about Isabelle and how she functions in her life to not only provide and put food on the table but also how she is able to keep it together for her. McArol does a very good job in the short amount of time to give us some compelling characters and a situation that we care about. This film has an inspiring message that I hope people will see and take with them.  Excellent job Mr. McArol!! I am going to seek out his other films.