‘Our Hero, Balthazar' Review: Jaeden Martell Is an Edgelord Obsessed with a Would-Be School Shooter in ‘Good Time' Producer's Angsty Debut
Balthazar's (Martell) compulsion toward on-iPhone faux tears contributes to a broad satire of an ever-widening genre of curated suffering wrought by social media users. The ones who lather themselves up over causes (see Selena Gomez's tearful direct-to-camera confession about Trump's deportation policies, which went viral earlier this year) to signal their virtues, and often emptily or at least confused.
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Boyson captures this phenomenon, mostly poking rather than prodding, until the film's dramatic and very bloody finish puts a not moralizing but perhaps prescriptive cap on the endgame of its own expanding satire: 'Our Hero, Balthazar' follows Balthy, as he's known by his absentee mother (a perfectly uptight, power-dressed Jennifer Ehle), into a dark obsession with the also biblically named Solomon (Asa Butterfield), an internet troll with aspirations of shooting up his Texas school and maybe more.
Balthy, though, doesn't have many virtues, and here the world of edgelords and online rage-baiters is a scuzzy one that cinematographer Christopher Messina and editors Nate DeYoung and Erin DeWitt plunge us into with all the subtlety of the Safdies' clock-ticking New York crime odyssey 'Good Time.' The synthy, pulsing electro art score by James William Blades further brings to mind those early Safdie movies, now generational touchstones for emerging filmmakers.
Boyson doesn't entirely peel away from the Benny-and-Josh-established aesthetic that's now the expected parlance of millennial filmmakers seeking to capture an unvarnished, on-edge New York — Boyson, after all, co-founded the Safdies' Elara Pictures before the brothers split creatively. The stylized filmmaking becomes its own sort of critical point of view here, revving up the audience and probably encouraging even a few in the room to endorse its agonized worldview via the movie's compelling craft. 'Our Hero, Balthazar' is both a cautionary tale and an entertainment, and how Boyson straddles the highwire cutting between those two opposing forces is what makes this promising debut most fascinatingly restless.
It's present day, and when 'Our Hero, Balthazar' begins, Balthy is weeping into his iPhone camera. 'This loneliness is killing me,' he says. But it's all fakery, as staged as the active-shooter drills at Balthy's private Manhattan school, crocodile tears welled up to weaponize his narcissism against the bleeding hearts of passive, smash-the-freaking-like-button social media sheep. Balthy is barely attended to by his single mom, Nicole (Ehle), who's so distracted by a romance with a rising politico (David M. Raine) that she goes out of town with the guy on Balthy's birthday weekend. Meanwhile, Balthy's nonexistent father just cuts the checks while remaining upstate in Westchester.
Balthy appears to have no social life outside the internet-only interactions inside his high-rise bedroom overlooking the city. He's attracted to an activist classmate (Pippa Knowles), who sounds off on the 'monetization of narcissism' after one of those school-shooting drills, but he alienates her entirely after trying to make out with her while watching dark-web-dispatched closed-circuit footage of an actual Arkansas school massacre. (As in last year's 'Red Rooms,' about a woman perversely drawn to snuff films, Boyson keeps the carnage off-camera, letting the sounds of guns popping and screams overheard ooze into our imagination.)
Balthy's preoccupation with school shootings entwines him over Instagram exchanges with Texas-dwelling convenience store worker Solomon, played by an unrecognizable Butterfield in brassy bleach-blond hair in desperate need of a rinse of purple shampoo. Solomon is lonely, too, ignored by his father, a Frank Mackey-type motivational speaker who used to be an amateur porn star and now peddles a powdery testosterone supplement called Thrush. The angsty teen, who's got far too much access to firearms and fantasizes about blowing up his peers, lives with his ailing, Franzia-wine-box-guzzling grandmother (Becky Ann Baker, hilarious and sweatily confined to an easy chair). He's loathed by (and perhaps in love with) his coworker, played by a crassly funny Anna Baryshnikov who again trashily steals the scene as she did in 'Love Lies Bleeding,' there as a lesbian stalker with gingivitis.
So Balthy, using all the AI chicanery disturbingly at his disposal, poses as a nympho online female sex bot to lure Solomon's attention via DMs and to eventually meet up with him in a sad pocket of rural Texas. Balthy goads Solomon's forming Oedipal desire to murder his father, while cautioning as Solomon suits up for the kill, 'It's not even a school — nobody's gonna care.' Balthy, meanwhile, hopes that in stopping Solomon's parallel planned school shooting he can somehow win back the affections of Eleanor (Knowles), who begs Balthy to stop reaching out but seemingly hasn't learned how to block a caller.
Is Balthy a hero? Is Solomon a murderer? Or are they both just hopeless casualties of an epidemic of over-interneted incel-adjacents who've turned being online at all these days into a pervasive existential risk? Car chases and police standoffs blare and beam from Solomon's grandmother's TV, giving 'Our Hero, Balthazar' an ever-on-the-edge-of-apocalypse vibe that literalizes our society-addling fixation on spectacle violence and if-it-bleeds-it-leads cable news, where the last tragedy is the latest news item.
Though hardly transgressive if you've kept up with the recent crop of indies that blend New York-at-night thriller with Gen Z-skewering social messaging (Olmo Schnabel's queer Manhattan caper 'Pet Shop Boys' from last year comes to mind), the contradictions in the thrilling pleasures of this film's craft alongside its darkly comic warning letter about gun culture make for a potent if ultimately ambivalent first venture. But it's ambivalence by design, as Boyson ends his movie on a painfully inevitable, macabrely funny finale that brings the whole thing full circle, Balthy once again crying on his own command for all the world (or at least a handful of followers and news watchers) to see.
Martell makes a strong dramatic impression as a seriously fucked-up kid, but is he more fucked-up than any kid — or any of us — is lately? It's Butterfield's pathos and toxic teendom that give 'Our Hero, Balthazar' its emotional anchor, if the film has one at all. Boyson seems more enamored with the pyrotechnics of filmmaking — and as a first-time feature director, why wouldn't he be? — than with sticking to an emotional landing. 'Our Hero, Balthazar' isn't cold by any means, but the result comes off as more ethnographic in tone than the in-your-face bravado of the approach would suggest.
'Our Hero, Balthazar' premiered at the 2025 Tribeca Festival. It is currently seeking U.S. distribution.
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Forbes
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This Billionaire Is Partnering With The Ellisons On The Paramount Deal
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Ten years later, he was brought back into 'Elvisland' by Priscilla Presley and Elvis Presley Enterprises President Jack Soden, coordinating an Elvis festival at the Las Vegas Hilton and selling all of his memorabilia to the estate. But he never regained his standing at the top of the Elvis hierarchy, much to his dismay. In assessing Parker's legacy, Guralnick thinks that it all comes down to 'the great music he helped Elvis bring to the world — not through any musical contributions of his own, obviously, but by creating the conditions necessary to ensure Elvis' creative independence from the start. Not to mention all the joy he himself delivered and derived from what he always liked to call the Wonderful World of Show Business.' Get the latest book news, events and more in your inbox every Saturday. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Solve the daily Crossword
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Host with the Most Madelyn Cline co-hosts the Reign Storm Fit Collective with Reign Storm Clean Energy on Johns Island, S.C., on Aug. 2. After Party David Dobrik smiles for the cameras at his Lollapalooza afterparty at IT'SUGAR in Chicago on Aug. 1. Night at the Museum Stanley Tucci and Meryl Streep sport elegant black tie looks on set while shooting The Devil Wears Prada 2 at the Museum of Natural History in New York City on Aug. 1. Dazzling Performance Olivia Rodrigo performs at Lollapalooza Festival at Chicago's Grant Park on Aug. 1. Summer Suit Naomi Watts is tailored chic in pinstripes as she attends the Ralph Lauren Summer luncheon on Aug. 1 in East Hampton, New York. Fresh-Faced Beauty Molly Gordon opts for a minimal make-up look and casual attire while attending the Ralph Lauren Summer Luncheon in East Hampton, New York, on Aug. 1. Off to the Races Twisted Metal's Anthony Mackie attends the final practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Hungary at Hungaroring on Aug. 2 in Budapest, Hungary. Time to Shine Joe Keery of DJO smiles to the crowd as he performs at Lollapalooza on Aug. 1 in Chicago. Good Vibes Only Wiz Khalifa performs onstage as he brings his Good Vibes Only Tour to Phoenix on Aug. 1. Red Sox Fan Tom Schwartz poses with the Boston Red Sox mascot Wally while attending the Houston Astros vs. Boston Red Sox game in Boston on Aug. 1. Vibrant Look T-Pain sports a colorful outfit onstage while performing at Lollapalooza on Aug. 1 in Chicago. Icon on the Move Mariah Carey is iridescent as she boards her tour bus in London on Aug 1 ahead of her performance at Brighton Pride. Rapper's Delight LL Cool J joins Busta Rhymes as the latter is honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Aug. 1. Giving Back George Clooney and Amal Clooney arrive in Lake Como, Italy on July 30 ahead of their upcoming Clooney Foundation for Justice gala. The Gang's All Here Chad Michael Murray, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sophia Hammons, Lindsay Lohan, Julia Butters and Manny Jacinto pose together at a Freakier Friday TikTok Q&A held in London on Aug 1. Off to Work Natalie Portman makes her way to set as she continues filming Good Sex in New York City on Aug 1. Hydration Break Maya Jama is refreshed and relaxed while grabbing a bottle of water on her way to the airport in London on July 31. Award-Winning Smile Giancarlo Esposito poses with the "Colonna d'oro" prize in Soverato, Italy on Aug 1. Record Breakers Aaron Pierre, Gabriel Luna, Lake Bell, Jackie Tohn, Tate Donovan celebrate packing a record-breaking 7500 pounds of food for Feeding America at Los Angeles Regional Food Bank on Aug. 1. Picture Perfect Dame Prue Leith poses for a portrait during Wilderness Festival at Cornbury Park on Aug. 1 in Charlbury, Oxfordshire. (Pet)a Josh Hutcherson shows love to shelter animals as part of Hill's Pet Nutrition and NBCUniversal Local's Clear The Shelters initiative in Pasadena, California, on July 31. Floral Fav Corinne Bailey Rae shines on stage at the Kendal Calling Festival 2025 in Cumbria, England. Moves Like Jagger Adam Levine and Maroon 5 break out the hits at the Today Citi Concert Series in New York City on Aug 1. The Big Guns Julia Garner and Josh Brolin make a splash as they arrive at the premiere of their new film, Weapons, in Los Angeles on July 31. She Wolf Shakira celebrates the debut of her hair care line, Isima, in Los Angeles on July 31. Star Power Mariska Hargitay is back as Olivia Benson while filming Law and Order: Special Victims Unit on July 31 in New York City. A-Ok Also on the Law and Order: Special Victims Unit set, her costar and longtime friend Ice T gestures to photographers in between takes on July 31 in New York City. Faces of Country A masked up Orville Peck arrives at the Grammy Museum L.A. Live event alongside collaborator and woman of the hour, Noah Cyrus on July 30. Lethal Looks Paul Scheer and June Diane Raphael conquer the carpet at the premiere of Weapons in Los Angeles on July 30 Game On Brie Larson gets her head in the game at EA's Battlefield 6 reveal celebration on July 31 in Los Angeles. Dinner Date Nicky Hilton Rothschild attends the Brunello Cucinelli Hamptons Dinner in Sagaponack, New York with her husband, James Rothschild on July 31. Party Rockin' LMFAO's Redfoo performed for an audience of Zumba instructors at ZINCON in Orlando, Florida on July 31. The Way It Is Keyshia Cole takes the stage in Oakland, California on July 31. Hot in Here Nelly brings his hits to the north during his Toronto concert on July 31. Green Thumb Suki Waterhouse is shaded up and chic as she searches for a new plant in London on July 31. Famous Friends Long time besties Olivia Rodrigo and Conan Gray spend some time out in Notting Hill, England on July 30. Dazzling Darling Julia Butters arrives in green for the Freakier Friday red carpet in London on July 31. Bombshell in Beige Sara Paxton strikes a pose at the premiere of Weapons in Los Angeles on July 31. Late Night Livin' Danielle Brooks is colorful in purple on Late Night With Seth Meyers on July 31. Stopping in Liza Koshy makes an appearance at SiriusXM Studios on July 31 in Miami Beach. Let Me Blow Your Mind Eve wows fans as she takes the stage at Budweiser Stage in Toronto on July 31. Director's Cut Spike Lee is playful while chatting with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show on July 31. Suited Up Alexandra Daddario arrives in style to the Brunello Cucinelli Hamptons Dinner in Sagaponack, New York on July 31. Radio Ready Kat Graham makes an appearance on The Big Tigger Morning Show with Jazzy McBee on Aug 1 in Atlanta. Mother-Daughter Duo Christie Brinkley and Sailor Brinkley Cook attend the Brunello Cucinelli Hamptons Dinner in contrasting looks in Sagaponack, New York, on July 31. Seeing Red Hilary Swank rocks it in red at the Remus Lifestyle Night in Palma de Mallorca, Spain on July 31. Star Arrival Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker arrives in a casual, fun fit at EA's Battlefield 6 reveal in Los Angeles on July 31. Cast Photo Film legend Billy Crystal poses with the cast of Heathers: The Musical on July 31 in New York City. Games and Glam Amaya Espinal and Ariana Madix are all smiles at EA's Battlefield 6 reveal in Los Angeles on July 31. Guest Speakers Marc Maron and Jim Gaffigan pose for pictures ahead of their talk at 92NY in New York City on July 31. Leading Man Jeremy Piven is spiffy as ever at the premiere of Numbered Lives in Melbourne, Australia, on Aug 1. Happy Together Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis share a laugh while attending the London premiere of Freakier Friday at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on July 31. Rockstar Attitude Chad Michael Murray channels his inner motorcycle-riding heartthrob while attending the Freakier Friday premiere at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square in London on July 31. Wonderful Wednesday Jenna Ortega continues her goth streak in a brown ruffled dress at the premiere of the second season of Wednesday in Paris on July 31. Starstruck Emma Stone wears shades paired with a baseball jersey while walking on the field after the San Diego Padres played the New York Mets at PetCo Park in San Diego on July 30. Walk in the Park Natalie Portman wears complimenting shades of blue while strolling in New York on July 31. Face Value Mark Ruffalo flashes a dazzling smile while leaving the set of his upcoming movie Good Sex in New York. Hosing Off Winnie Harlow cools off in a light brown triangle bikini while on holiday in Formentera, Spain on July 30. Rocking the Boat Travis Scott wears a red flannel jacket with bright red pants to team up with Verde Beach for a live performance in Saint-Tropez. Enter Emily Emily Blunt gives a wave while leaving the set of The Devil Wears Prada 2 in New York on July 30. Fearless, Fierce and Fabulous Brie Garcia, Jade Cargill and Nikki Garcia pose for a stylish image while visiting SiriusXM Studios in New York on July 31. GOAT Boat Michael Jordan steps out in a black T-shirt and patterned shorts in Saint-Tropez on July 31. Stage Star Nicole Scherzinger is the essence of simple elegance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon days after the closing of Sunset Blvd. in New York on July 30. Laughing in La-La Land Longtime friends Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne share some giggles at the premiere of Platonic season 2 in Los Angeles on July 30. Mama Bear Moment Mariska Hargitay and her son August Hermann take a break from the heat on the set of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit on July 30 in New York. Read the original article on People
