Hero (1983)

In Alexandre Rockwell's quirky, Sundance award-winning film, Hero, we meet a uniquely composed family unit: a disabled teenager with an eye for the world through the lens of his Polaroid camera, and his two older adoptive sisters. Deemed as "not our idea of a normal family" by a blase protective-services bureaucrat, the trio decides to break free from their shadowy urban existence. They set forth on a journey across the vast stretches of America, aiming for a peculiar destination - Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, a town as enigmatic as its name. Along their route, they cross paths with another societal misfit, who strikes a chord with the boy’s unconventional means of connecting. "I guess this is your way of socializing, huh?" he questions, only to be met with the boy's profound response, "No, it's my way of seeing." The plot gracefully weaves together grand and minuscule details, with Rockwell's keen eye for the extraordinary in the ordinary. Hero is a cinematic journey that invites us to see the world through the eyes of its unconventional characters. It's a tale of wanderlust, family ties, and the search for acceptance in the face of societal norms, set against the backdrop of the alluringly vast American landscape. This film celebrates the mystery and beauty of being different, leaving its audience with a new perspective on what it truly means to be a hero.

Hero is a drama movie featuring Paul Rockwell and directed by Alexandre Rockwell.

Hero is currently streaming for free (ad-supported) on Kanopy.