A feature debut written and directed by India Donaldson that makes use of a very small cast and some very pointed dialogue to explore some confrontational and relevant subject matter, Good One is a film that you could easily roll your eyes at before dismissing, considering the subtlety of the performances and the conversations, but I would implore you to give it your time.
Lily Collias plays Sam, a young woman who goes on a camping trip with her father (Chris, played by James Le Gros) and his friend (Matt, played by Danny McCarthy). Both of the men have moments of struggling to remind themselves of how they used to be compared to how they are now, post-divorce and with many more mistakes having piled up in their lives. This doesn't make it the most comfortable environment for Sam, but she spends a lot of her time mediating between the two men, and even delivering some words of wisdom to them. One particular comment leaves her very unsettled though, but neither of the men seem particularly aware of just how much it affects her.
Considering not much seems to happen for the majority of Good One, it left me feeling absolutely devastated and stuck in a mode of self-examination as the end credits rolled. There's the overarching theme of divorced parents struggling to deal with their children, somehow not figuring that the decisions they made over the years would affect how their children perceive, and communicate with, them, but there's also something important being said about the constant tide of male energy causing erosion to the landscape of women.
Donaldson handles everything perfectly, and has the confidence to leave plenty of time and space for viewers to keep asking questions as the film unfolds. She doesn't ever take things to anywhere near an extreme, which makes the viewing experience even more unsettling and thought-provoking because the problem being looked at is a lot easier to confront and attack if it's presented in some of the more extreme forms we're aware of.
Collias gives the kind of performance that deserves to gain her a lot of attention and praise, and I hope I get to see her in a lot more after this, while both Le Gros and McCarthy excel at playing the kind of men who try their best to wander through life being oblivious to a number of their own failings or inappropriate comments. They don't seem like truly bad men . . . but bad men so often don't. Whether they can eventually reckon with themselves, and their responsibility in the kind of society they might want Sam to be safe in, is almost entirely separate from their standard mix of jokes and arguments. Except it isn't at all separate from all of that, which is clear as we watch their interactions from the POV of a young woman.
Much like the main character, this is bold, uncomfortable, and intelligent. I highly recommend it to those after something challenging and brilliant.
9/10
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