BTL Radio Show – 03/30/2026 with director OSCAR BOYSON discussing OUR HERO, BALTHAZAR

Sorry that I missed all of you last week with BEHIND THE LENS, but I had no voice.  And you all know how catastrophic that is when I cannot talk and sound worse than a Budweiser bullfrog.  So my apologies.  But it’s a new week, and I’ve got a working voice and working internet, so let’s take a look at a film and filmmaker that just blew me away – OUR HERO, BALTHAZAR and co-writer/director OSCAR BOYSON.

OUR HERO BALTHAZAR marks Oscar’s feature directorial debut, but it is certainly not his first time in the cinematic rodeo given his prior directing experience with some episodics and shorts, but also serving as a producer on films like UNCUT GEMS and FRANCES HA, as well as working his way through the various components of filmmaking, including sound recording, editing, production design, and more, giving him a nice grounding for a feature directorial experience.

OUR HERO, BALTHAZAR is a brilliant directorial calling card for Oscar. Co-written by Oscar with Ricky Camilleri, OUR HERO, BALTHAZAR stars Jaeden Martell and Asa Butterworth, along with Chris Bauer, Jennifer Ehle, Pippa Knowles, Avan Jogia, and more.  The film rises and falls on the performances of Jaeden and Asa, both of whom will knock your socks off.

This is the story of a headlong race through a world where success can be measured in engagement and tragedy has become content, following two neglected teens thrown together by a chance online encounter. Privileged yet lonely New Yorker Balthy Malone  (Jaeden Martell) dreams of becoming a hero, while struggling Texan Solomon Jackson (Asa Butterfield) seeks recognition by posting violent threats. When Balthy, in an act of misguided heroism, travels to Texas in an attempt to befriend Solomon and avert a possible tragedy, he is drawn into a dangerous and thrilling new world. Despite their differences, both find refuge from their crushing loneliness in each other’s company, but for all Balthy’s good intentions, his decisions are driving them close to the precipice of disaster.

These performances are unlike anything you’ve seen from Jaeden and Asa over the course of their careers.  Many of you may know Jaeden from his early work in ST. VINCENT or THE CONFIRMATION or later work like with KNIVES OUT, IT, MR. HARRIGAN’S PHONE, or the chilling mini-series DEFENDING JACOB.  While Asa stole our hearts in THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS (and if you still haven’t seen it since release in 2008, I encourage you to do so), HUGO, NANNY McPHEE RETURNS, plus turns in ENDER’S GAME and the TV series SEX EDUCATION.  But for his blue eyes, Asa is physically unrecognizable in OUR HERO, BALTHAZAR.

In what can only be described as some of the most surprising but inspiring casting, Jaeden Martell delivers a career-defining performance as Balthy, a young man whose wealth and upbringing have positioned him to “do something meaningful,” yet left him emotionally adrift.  Opposite him, Asa Butterfield is nothing short of revelatory as Solomon. Stripped of the warmth audiences often associate with him, Butterfield leans fully into a frenetic, volatile energy that feels both unpredictable and painfully grounded.   Their chemistry is electric.

What is interesting is that Oscar never sensationalizes the film’s subject matter. While the premise touches on issues of gun violence and online threats, the film never exploits these elements for shock value. Instead, it focuses on the emotional and psychological pathways that lead to those moments.

As you’ll hear in this interview, Oscar breaks it all down and explains that at the center of it all are two transformative performances from Jaeden Martell and Asa Butterfield—roles that push both actors far beyond anything audiences have seen from them before.  And that was entirely his point.  Martell’s Balthazar is a study in contradiction, while Butterfield’s Solomon is a frenetic, volatile young man whose rapid-fire energy masks a deeper emotional fracture.

Digging deep, Oscar discusses the impetus for this story and the multiple themes tackled;  and of course, executing and reinforcing those themes through a carefully constructed visual grammar developed with cinematographer Chris Messina, and most particularly by allowing the camera to move fluidly within a scene, capturing performances in real time and thus capturing the rawness of the characters’ emotional states.  It’s fascinating and immersively dynamic to watch.  We also dive into Emily Constantino’s costume design and Steven Phelps production design, and more.

This is a fascinating and insightful interview with co-director/writer OSCAR BOYSON!  Enjoy!

OUR HERO, BALTHAZAR is in theatres in New York on March 27 & Los Angeles April 3, expanding throughout April

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