Hesher: Difference between revisions

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Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays the title character Hesher, a metal-loving drifter who inexplicably inserts himself into the lives of young TJ (Devin Brochu), his father Paul (Rainn Wilson) and Madeleine (Piper Laurie), TJ's grandmother and Paul's mother. The family is reeling after the tragic loss {{spoiler|of TJ's mother/Paul's wife, who appears in a flashback scene to explain how she died.}} Also in the mix is Nicole (Natalie Portman), a grocery store cashier who TJ and Hesher befriend to various degrees.

The film is notable for its selection of Metallica songs that serve as Hesher's Leitmotif, as well as the "lightning curve" font of the original Metallica logo being used in movie posters and on the DVD/Blu-ray cover.

 

* [[Anti-Hero]]: Hesher weaves in and out of this trope.

* [[Beard of Sorrow]]: Paul wears one {{spoiler|throughout most of the film, but shaves at the end to indicate he's come to terms with his wife's death. He is clean-shaven in the flashback dream of her death}}.

* [[Character Title]]

* [[Never Trust a Trailer]]: The trailer made the film look more like a comedy, when it was a drama all along. Hesher is also a {{spoiler|[[Decoy Protagonist]]}}.

* [[No Name Given]]: The following is not revealed in the film: Hesher's real name, what the initials "TJ" stand for, Nicole's last name, {{spoiler|TJ's mother's whole name, or the bully that torments TJ throughout the film (not Hesher).}} The grandmother's name is not revealed until the end of the film.