Good One

A remarkable new actress has been born. Progressively preposterous, as it became that a 17-year old as special as Sam would go on a hiking trip with her father and his best friend, her acting will keep you watching until the end. Throughout the film, I kept thinking her face and expressions could belong to a precocious young French actress (think Léa Seydoux). Reading her biography, I found out her mother is French. I am certain we will see, and hear, more of Lilly Collias. Other than Collias, the two male leads, James LeGros and Danny Mc Carthy are very convincing in their roles. Both the camerawork and the writing are exceptional.

Written and directed by India Donaldson, the movie follows 17-year-old Sam (Lily Collias) going on an excursion in the Catskills along with her father Chris (James Le Gros) and his friend Matt (Danny McCarthy). A trip to the heart of the woods that naturally exposes each character's anxieties as they tread different paths in their lives. Wiser than her age, Sam is presented as observant whose mood goes from taciturn to enthusiastically playful to earnestly mature. Donaldson's attention to detail traces behavioral nuances that subtly illustrate shadings of perception that never depart from the natural and realistic. Dialogues weaving seamlessly without requiring inauthentic drama allows us to feel not only invested in what is happening, but also part of it.

According to Donaldson, the idea was born from her own experiences growing up and going camping with her father and his friends. Her debut length feature is, at its core, a character study that is interested in an immersive contemplative experience through the eyes of someone whose sensitivity might not be shared, not because of differences in what constitutes moral values, but because of a displacement in presumptions. By reason of the object of perception not being equally perceived, different readings of it are born. A decisive event in the movie articulates this difference in interpellation and renders what came before, our being with these characters and making our own assumptions after the time spent, something needing to be recontextualized.

It would be tempting to see in Good One anything but a reproduction of ideological discourses where the lines between good and evil are clearly drawn, and by doing so, something that voids reality from its complexities. Nonetheless, its non-judgmental approach is more interested in exposition than it is in lecturing. This is a story grounded in believable events and as such, said line could not be further from being drawn no matter how questionable some remarks might be interpreted.

Watched this at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.

Wow, 2024 Sundance really had lots of good movies this year because "Good One" really was one of my favorites from the festival. Filmmaker India Donaldson creates a strong debut project with good writing on the themes of generational differences, beautiful camerawork and good performances from the cast members.

Donaldson really captures the essence of nature landscapes, hiking, and conversations between characters and life. The atmosphere, camerawork, and sound designs are relaxing and many of the dialogue moments felt nature and realistic. All of the performances are good and Lily Collias was amazing in her first performance.

This movie really is like a good ASMR or vibe story like something made from Kelly Reichardt. Overall good movie.

This is a movie worth seeing without being unforgettable. The lead actress portraits her role excellently and the story has a nice reflective pace. There are some attempts to give depth to the other two characters, the dad and his friend, however despite their efforts to sound deep and complex, their interactions end up being lame and basic, due to their limited mindsets and stereotypical 'manly' existential struggles that do not show a glimpse of real self-awareness.

To all the reviews disliking the movie because it's 'too feminist' or negatively biased towards men, as a woman I would like to express that if you were one, you'd be very familiar with these dynamics since an even much earlier age than 17yo, no matter where/how you grew up. You'd be shocked to learn how often these weird interactions happen to all girls and women in the most random contexts, and from people you would never expect. I'm not saying all men are like this thankfully, but it's still too many. I hope this movie stimulates a real reflection on the normalisation of these dynamics in women's experiences.

Before writing this, I checked my calendar and half-planned a trip to a nearby bird sanctuary on the upcoming weekend. That is the effect Good One had on me, although the makers had different plans with the way the film moves from being about a trio nature-hiking to one about relationship dynamics. The shift is sudden and it's only then you realise that the writer had subtly hinted it before. You'd be lying if you say you were seeing it coming. All the cosiness the film had created till then goes away but you still stare into the nature and wonder about things. Good One has a good effect on you and I recommend it. Lead actor is terrific and so are the other two actors. Together, they have renewed my hiking plans.