Good Old Friends

I found myself trying to figure out what "Good Old Friends" had in store for me as I watched the first act, and when I guessed, I was very wrong! This story tells the tale of three old pals, getting together to hang out and party for a couple days in Berlin. But something goes terribly sideways, which changes the entire trajectory of their weekend and their interactions. The second act sags a little bit, but is brought back by a strong third act, where once again, I was surprised by the outcome. I thought the cinematography was strong, with multiple scenes that were simply beautiful to look at. The acting is strong as well, and the script gave each character a distinct personality. All in all, a fun night on Prime!

I enjoy watching indie films and have found some gems on Prime. Good Old Friends is one of them. Aesthetically-speaking, it has a cool 90's vibe due primarily to its stylish cinematography. It somehow has a video feel which is very appropriate for the story about friends reuniting after a few years in Berlin. The lighting and framing are really good overall and found it somewhat reminiscent of Soderbergh in his early days. Also, the shooting style is punctuated by the occasional striking shot such as the one framed up inside the beer cooler. I did find an occasional scene a bit too dark for my taste, such as the "magic box" scene, but this is a common complaint of mine even with big budget productions. I enjoyed the soundtrack and feel that it underscored the film perfectly and the Berlin setting gives the film a distinctly international flair. I believed the actors and feel they sold the "friends who grew mismatched due their individual courses in life" well. There's some great dialogue and the line "she's probably left me now," and also the part with the stripper berating them, made me laugh out loud. On a critical note, I found some of the scenes a bit long for my taste, at times the story momentum slowed a bit and some of the dialogue felt overly-improvised, which would have been sold better by shortening the scene, but all-in-all this made for a fun indie movie night with some unexpected story twists that kept things interesting.

This low budget indie movie is full of static scenes with stilted, awkward conversation between people who seem to barely know each other even though they are supposed to be old friends.

Good Old Friends is an independent film shot in Berlin (in English), and I absolutely recommend you watch it on Prime Video. This film has some great acting, really good directing (especially b-roll), a fantastic score and soundtrack, a brilliant script with an amazing twist ending which I didn't see coming, as well as an unexpected moment half way through the film which flips the mood of the film on its head and completely changes the rest of the story. The characters are very well written, and there are so many nods to other fantastic films, not only in the natural dialogue that flows off the characters' tongues, but also in the themes and story of the film. I honestly think this is a brilliant low budget film which I fully recommend.

Follow me on Instagram and Letterboxd: movieejunkiee

9/10.

Polished Independent thriller with some nice cinematography and performances. I didn't see the ending coming. Definitely recommend if you're looking for something that's different from the Hollywood norm!