Thomas Brodie-Sangster

Thomas Brodie-Sangster is impressive – though never wallows in sentimentality – as Donald, a young Dublin teen who is gaunt, bald and tired from his chemotherapy sessions who tries to deal with his situation through his illustrations and his imagination, represented by the animation that sees him as a muscular hooded figure dealing with buxom beauties and evil villain The Glove.

Brodie-Sangster (who made his first impact in 2003 playing Liam Neeson’s love-struck son in Love Actually) makes a fine transition to an almost-adult role, ably portraying a young man struggling to deal with adolescence (girls and usual teen angst) while also managing the physical and psychological pressures of his cancer.