Our Hero, Balthazar
Directed by Oscar Boyson · 2026 ·
Our Hero, Balthazar (2026) earns a 74% Celluloid Score — Recommended. Recommended — recommended by most critics and audiences.Critics (88%) were notably more enthusiastic than audiences (65%).
Averaged from five public sources (critic, audience, Metascore, Letterboxd, IMDb). See how we calculate scores.
Five-source breakdown
Focus Features Where to watch
Our Hero, Balthazar is in cinemas now — it isn't streaming anywhere yet.
Why this score?
- Majority of critics rated it fresh (88%).
- General viewers mostly liked it (65%).
- Metascore is generally favorable (76/100).
- Celluloid Score 74% averages all five public rating sources — our own composite, not a third-party trademark score.
Best for
- Short runtime — easy weeknight watch
- Critics' darlings — stronger with reviewers than general viewers
Not ideal for
- Viewers who only watch top-tier, 90%+ rated films
Scores reflect data indexed at build time. Component sources are shown on this page; Celluloid Score is our composite, not a third-party trademark. Scoring policy
Is Our Hero, Balthazar worth watching?
Yes — Our Hero, Balthazar earns a 74% Celluloid Score. Recommended — recommended by most critics and audiences.
Critics Consensus
Oscar Boyson's debut splits critics at 88% and audiences at 65% — Jaeden Martell and Asa Butterfield give the year's most uncomfortable father-son study, a drama about performative vulnerability that Empire's list flagged as essential viewing.
Celluloid Critics Consensus
Critics (88%) were notably more enthusiastic than audiences (65%).
What is Our Hero, Balthazar about?
Oscar Boyson's SXSW debut follows Balthazar, a teenage cry-video influencer who built a following on public breakdowns — until he discovers his estranged father has been secretly editing his most vulnerable moments into art-house shorts without permission. Jaeden Martell plays the son whose grief became content; Asa Butterfield and Noah Centineo orbit as peers who see the algorithm clearer than Balthazar does. The reunion forces both men to ask who owns pain when it goes viral, and whether a father reclaiming his son's wounds is rescue or theft.
Watch the Trailer
Critic Reviews
Our Hero, Balthazar Review: Viral Grief Becomes Father-Son Theft at 88%/65%
★★★½☆
Jaeden Martell and Asa Butterfield confront cry-video fame in Oscar Boyson's 88% critic / 65% audience debut — Empire's essential uncomfortable watch.
Fresh for the brave — a [United States](/country/united-states/) indie on [Best of 2026](/best/2026/) about who owns pain when it goes viral.
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