This indie has the general premise of KICK-ASS — what if a regular man became a vigilante superhero. But this film isn't a satire, it takes the story seriously and takes it to the dark realms that it leads. As a character study, it really looks at the personality of someone who goes into the street to find justice while risking their life. The title might be a reference to Batman's sidekick Robin, but this is not a teen in green, red and yellow tights.
Sean Donovan (Caleb Steinmeyer, TV's LOST) could easily be described as a boy wonder. He speaks several languages, listens to classical music on his iPod, and spends his days at the police station combing through files looking for the man who murdered his mother. The cops just think he's a troubled kid looking for some closure and they're right, but what they don't know is he's finding it by hunting down criminals who have gotten away with murder.
Sean has had a tough life. Even before his mother died, he had to deal with his abusive alcoholic father Terry (Bill Sage, MYSTERIOUS SKIN), who has since sobered up, but the damage has already been done. Now a high schooler, Sean has no friends and is quick to anger. He views the world through his rage, making him hyper sensitive to conflict. He sees a mother reprimanding her son and to him it seems like she is threatening the kid when in reality she is calmly telling her son not to hit his little sister.
Teresa Ames (Zulay Henao, FIGHTING) is the new detective in the precinct where Sean hangs out. When a string of murders point to a vigilante, she starts to look toward Sean. What she doesn't know is that Sean has been watching her for some time now. He's keenly interested in her most recent case involving the thug Larry Childs (James Russo, DONNIE BRASCO), another lowlife who looks like he might escape justice and had threatened to visit Ames and her young son when he gets free.
For an indie with no big names, casting is always crucial because the film doesn't have the luxury of getting the added push of celebrity charisma. Performance and story have to draw the viewer in from the start. Director Michael Morrissey has just that cast. Steinmeyer gives Sean a disquieting intensity. He is a "hero," but is he right? Steinmeyer helps create the ambiguity by being smart and slightly unhinged at the same time. Henao might seem too beautiful to be a cop, but she makes Ames a woman married to her tough job like Mariska Hargitay brings to her detective role on LAW & ORDER: SVU. She's also aided by being teamed with Daniel Stewart Sherman as her partner Gary Stenson, who is her complete opposite, which provides great comic relief. And finally, Sage has the tough role of being on the opposite course as his son. But can he save his boy from the darkness?
What kind of person actually goes out to commit what they believe are justifiable murders? Are they motivated by justice or revenge? If it's the latter is it justifiable? BOY WONDER asks these questions right up until the end. The answers get less clear as more details of Sean's life are revealed to us and him. If he is guilty or innocent you have to decide.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
