Tucci and Firth are like Eric and Ernie but sexier: Supernova reviewed

At the time Supernova went into production one headline read: ‘What did we do to deserve a love story starring Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci?’ Something right, I suppose. This is an intense, intimate, spare film about love, grief and dementia, and the two leads, who play a gay couple, are superb. There is now the argument that gay roles should be played solely by gay actors but, my heavens, you can’t deny this pair look irresistibly adorable tucked up in bed together. Like Eric and Ernie, but with a sexier vibe.

Tucci and Firth play Tusker and Sam, a couple who have been together for 20 years and possess excellent knitwear. Tusker works in an Amazon warehouse while Sam is a plumber… only kidding. Tusker is a novelist while Sam is a concert pianist, naturally enough. (In cinema, as in literature, the feeling seems to be: the more deeply cultural, the more worthwhile the life, and the more tragic the loss of it.) But their careers are now on the back burner as Tusker has been diagnosed with early-onset dementia. His symptoms aren’t yet too apparent. Occasionally he may lose the word ‘triangle’, for instance, and will have to draw it in the air.

But both know what is coming and have opted to take a last trip in their RV to the Lake District accompanied by their dog (Ruby). Sam drives while Tusker kvetches fondly: ‘How about just exploring the outer regions of fifth gear?’ They visit the lake where they first declared their love for each other, and look at the stars through their telescope — the film’s title will make sense by the end — and stock up at Spar, because no British holiday would be complete without a stock-up at Spar.