Review by
Eric Hillis
Directed by: India Donaldson
Starring: Lily Collias, James Le Gros, Danny
McCarthy
New Zealand filmmaker Roger Donaldson was a founding member of the
Aussie/Kiwi New Wave of the '70s before succumbing to the lure of
Hollywood in the '80s, as did so many from that movement. That
acclaimed wave of films tackled such subjects as gender, colonialism
and inter-personal relationships, often by contrasting "civilised"
people against the rugged backdrop of untameable terrain. Though it's
set in the US, the spirit of that antipodean movement lives on
in Good One, the writing/directing debut of India Donaldson,
daughter of Roger.
Those Aussie/Kiwi New Wave films often suggested that if you put
people in the sort of places where people aren't really meant to be -
a desert or a jungle - the thin veneer of civilisation would begin to
erode, that inhibitions would be loosened, that unaired grievances
would finally be spoken. The film from that movement that Donaldson's
debut most resembles is Colin Eggleston's Long Weekend, in which a middle class married couple's relationship deteriorates
over the course of a holiday weekend camping trip in the
outback.
In Good One it's not the relationship between a husband and wife that gets
tested over a long weekend, but between a father and daughter.
Teenager Sam (Lily Collias) is about to head off for college
and her old man, Chris (James Le Gros), wants to enjoy one
final hike in the woods with his little girl before she flees the
familial nest. Sam and Chris were meant to be joined by Chris's old
friend Matt (Danny McCarthy) and his own teenage son, but when
the latter has an argument with his dad, Sam is stuck with a pair of
middle-aged men whose baggage extends far beyond their hefty
backpacks.
"One of the good ones" is a phrase usually used by white people to
condescendingly praise a person of colour who subscribes to white
standards, but here it's wielded similarly to describe Sam as a rarity
among teenagers. She's every parent's dream: smart, curious, and most
importantly obedient. She's the sort of kid who's usually seen but not
heard. Chris and Matt are constantly telling her she's wise beyond her
years, but it's more a case of the two men suffering from arrested
development, as so many middle-aged men do.
Good One is a patient drama whose tension sneaks up on you. For much of
its running time it seems like a jovial tale of a father spending some
quality time with his kid and his best bud. But Donaldson gradually
adds seasoning to her passive aggressive pressure cooker until it
reaches boiling point. Chris and Matt's relationship is revealed to be
built on a curious sub/dom dynamic, with the smug Chris constantly
making cruel jibes at his friend's expense, mocking everything from
his waistline to the failure of his own marriage. Having no doubt been
on the recieving end of her father's insensitivity herself, Sam begins
to stand up for Matt. Alone in this wilderness, Sam finally gets to
see her father for who he really is, a rather pathetic man who wields
his successful career as a shield to hide his insecurities. But in
giving Matt the sort of empathy he seems to be quietly crying out for,
she puts herself in a dangerous position.
Early on, Chris scolds Matt for eating a chocolate bar in his tent,
claiming the scent of the food could attract a bear. No such beasts
make an appearance on this trip, but in challenging her father and
displaying sympathy for Matt, Sam is poking two burly bears in very
different ways. It all leads to an incident that makes Sam realise
just how alone she is as a woman in this microcosm of a man's world,
that her father would rather she be seen and not heard, especially
when what she has to say isn't what he wants to hear.
At a tight 90 minutes, Good One ends at a point that more traditional narratives might choose
to close out a first act and set up more overt drama to come. Like a
DJ who knows just the right tune to drop as the club's lights come on,
Donaldson sends us out wanting more. By leaving the fates of her
characters to our imaginations, she has assured her debut is a film
that will linger long in our minds, and possibly cause us to question
our own relationships with our children or parents.
Good One is in US cinemas
from August 9th, Canadian cinemas August 16th. A UK/ROI release has
yet to be announced.
