‘Our Hero, Balthazar’ Trailer – Jaeden Martell Stars in Oscar Boyson’s Dark Satire on Social Media

A privileged teenager’s misguided quest to become a hero in the age of social media unfolds in Our Hero, Balthazar, the provocative debut feature from filmmaker Oscar Boyson.

Blending satire, coming-of-age drama, and dark comedy, the film stars Jaeden Martell as Balthazar, a wealthy New York prep school student whose attempts at performative online activism spiral into something far more dangerous.

Also starring in the film are Asa Butterfield, Jennifer Ehle, Anna Baryshnikov, Noah Centineo, Becky Ann Baker, Avan Jogia, and Chris Bauer.

Directed and co-written by Boyson with Ricky Camilleri, the film first premiered at the Tribeca Festival, then went on to screen at other festivals, including the Vancouver International Film Festival, the Calgary International Film Festival, and the Charlotte Film Festival.

The film is now preparing for its theatrical rollout in the United States, with distributors Picturehouse and WG Pictures scheduling the release for March 27, 2026, beginning in New York before expanding to additional markets.

The story follows Balthazar, a wealthy Manhattan teenager who begins posting emotional videos advocating for stricter gun laws in hopes of impressing an activist classmate. When an online troll claiming violent intentions begins targeting his videos, Balthazar becomes convinced the anonymous user may be planning a school shooting. Acting on impulse and eager to prove himself a hero, he travels across the country to Texas to confront the stranger in person.

In its review out of the Tribeca premiere, Variety described the film as “an audacious drama about fake empathy, school shooters and how the online world connects to both.” The review noted, “Yet what makes it work is that Boyson, who cowrote the script with Ricky Camilleri, is truly onto something: the way a new, lost middle-class youth culture has come to value exhibitionism over reality — or, rather, has turned exhibitionism into its own reality.”

Watch the official trailer for Our Hero, Balthazar, above.