May at GFT- make it a Good One

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May at GFT - make it a Good One

by Paul Gallagher, GFT Programme Manager

It’s GFT’s birthday in May, so we’ve packed the month with lots of special screenings of favourites and classics, but that doesn’t mean there won’t also be plenty of new films to enjoy! Not least the new Wes Anderson film The Phoenician Scheme (out 23 May), which looks every bit as hilarious, intricate and star-studded as we’ve come to expect from Wes. But the one that I particularly want to highlight here is a much quieter, smaller film that’s one of my favourites of the year so far, the aptly titled Good One.

It’s a film that’s set almost entirely outdoors, following 17-year old Sam as she goes on a weekend backpacking trip in the Catskills with her dad and one of his best friends. The friend’s teenage son was also supposed to come, but he has backed out after having a major falling-out with his dad – so it’s just the three of them. We follow them over the course of this weekend, hiking, camping, eating and talking together – and that’s it. The beauty of the film is that this simple set up allows debut writer/director India Donaldson to observe and gradually bring out the various things going on under the surface with each of these characters, and the incredibly complex dynamics between them.

For me one of the things that was so refreshing about this film was the opportunity to see a father-daughter relationship portrayed with real complexity, and in a way that keeps you asking questions throughout, rather than spelling out precisely how these characters relate to each other from the get-go. It struck me that so often films define father-daughter relationships in very binary terms – the characters either get each other completely, or they're on absolute opposite wavelengths, and that’s the set-up that stays fixed for the whole film. Good One refuses such simplicity, and instead presents a truly multi-faceted relationship: at some points Sam and her dad are like best friends, at others there is an aching distance, and it can switch in an instant.

With such emphasis on small details, the performances are obviously crucial, and newcomer Lily Collias is incredible in the lead role as Sam. This is a film where the smallest change of expression on a face speaks to a world of deep emotion, and Collias conveys that internal world with absolute authenticity. She is ably supported by veteran character actor James Le Gros as Chris, her dad, and Danny McCarthy as the long-time best friend Matt. Each one fully inhabits their character, so even as we are only getting this tiny window of time into their lives, we gradually gain a deeper understanding of the tensions, joys and frustrations between them.

The other element that makes this film so worthy of attention is Donaldson’s stylistic approach. Working with director of photography Wilson Cameron and composer Celia Hollander, she has crafted a worthy addition to the ‘American outdoors’ mini-genre, complete with beautiful score and lovely cinematography. Think of films like Debra Granik’s Leave No Trace, Kelly Reichardt’s First Cow and David Gordon Green’s Prince Avalanche – this kind of heightened sensory evocation of being outside, but given an ethereal and contemplative quality by the addition of music. It’s one of my favourite modes of cinema, and done brilliantly by Donaldson here.

So my advice is to make time for Good One: it’s a great one – and on at GFT from Friday 16 May.

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