Archive · 25 Aug 2026
Our Hero, Balthazar Questions Whether Online Empathy Is Real
Our Hero, Balthazar is about a rich teenager named Balthy who wants people to think he is very caring.
He makes videos of himself crying about terrible events.
His tears are real, but the movie suggests that his feelings may be more about attention than sadness.
Balthy becomes interested in a person online who says he might plan a school shooting.
He travels to Texas to meet him instead of simply reporting the threat.
There he meets Solomon, a lonely young man who pretends to be tougher and more dangerous than he really is.
The two boys seem very different, but both want other people to notice them.
The movie uses dark jokes to ask whether showing empathy online is the same as truly feeling it.
Oscar Boyson’s dark comedy follows Balthazar, a privileged Manhattan teenager who records himself crying over tragedies.
Balthy performs empathy online, especially in response to school shootings, while remaining detached from the causes he supports.
After meeting an online contact who claims to be planning a school shooting, Balthy travels to Texas to investigate.
He encounters Solomon, a lonely young man whose performed menace mirrors Balthy’s performed sensitivity.
The film is praised for its energetic performances and unsettling premise, though its many satirical targets can sometimes weaken its impact.
- Who
- Balthazar, a wealthy Manhattan teenager played by Jaeden Martell; Solomon, played by Asa Butterfield; and Eleanor, played by Pippa Knowles.
- What
- A dark comedy about Balthazar’s online performances of empathy and his attempt to investigate an alleged school-shooting threat.
- When
- The film is streaming on Prime Video.
- Where
- The story begins in Manhattan and later takes Balthazar to Texas.
- Why
- Balthazar wants purpose, belonging and recognition, while the film examines whether publicly performed online empathy can be genuine.
- Film
- Our Hero, Balthazar
- Director
- Oscar Boyson
- Lead character
- Balthazar, or Balthy, played by Jaeden Martell
- Platform
- Prime Video
- Central conflict
- Balthazar investigates an online contact who claims to be planning a school shooting
- Key relationship
- Balthazar and Solomon, two lonely characters who construct identities for imagined audiences
- Critical assessment
- The film is energetic, funny and unsettling, but its broad satire does not always land