Hesher is the story of a family struggling to deal with loss and the anarchist who helps them do it—in a very unexpected way.
TJ is 13 years old. Two months ago, his mom was killed in an accident, leaving TJ and his grieving dad to move in with grandma to pick up the pieces. Hesher is a loner. He hates the world—and everyone in it. He has long, greasy hair and homemade tattoos. He likes fire and blowing things up. He lives in his van—until he meets TJ.
Hesher is that rare film that manages to be a completely original vision, a thoroughly entertaining story, and a provocative metaphor. Joseph Gordon-Levitt brings the character of Hesher to life with anger and angst, and Devin Brochu makes quite a splash as the young boy dealing with both the loss of his mother and an unwanted houseguest. Cowriter/director Spencer Susser crafts a multidimensional, darkly humorous film that exhibits an immensely talented storyteller at work. —Sundance Film Festival
If the point is that any intervention is at least an intervention, then fuck this movie.
And I think this is ironic because the filmmakers express a sense of recklessness in other ways of the story. Recklessness as a result of server emotional stress. I liked this about it, because it came from a personal place. And if Hesher is a physical manifestation of that pain that inspired this movie, then the filmmakers are expressing to cry rather than move forward.
The director is pretty good and the script was interesting in a lot of ways, but Hesher was not as charming as the filmmakers wanted him to be. He did a lot of indiscriminate things and was predictable in his madness. That mixed with cheeky grins and supermodel glances made me feel that the filmmakers had no idea how to make this guy, so he became an indie cliche without any real depth.
"The world premiere of Hesher hit Sundance on Friday, and I do mean 'hit.'" ST VanAirsdale introduces Movieline's FAQ: "Joseph Gordon-Levitt
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Urban Dictionary describes a “hesher” as a rocker, with greasy hair, who lives in his parents’ basement. Fortunately, the film Hesher doesn’t stop at just that, but expands the character of the same… read review