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Good One (film)

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Good One
Release poster
Directed byIndia Donaldson
Written byIndia Donaldson
Produced by
  • Diana Irvine
  • Graham Mason
  • Wilson Cameron
  • India Donaldson
Starring
CinematographyWilson Cameron
Edited byGraham Mason
Music byCelia Hollander
Production
companies
  • International Pigeon
  • Smudge Films
  • Tinygiant
  • Baird Street Pictures
Distributed byMetrograph Pictures
Release dates
  • January 21, 2024 (2024-01-21) (Sundance)
  • August 9, 2024 (2024-08-09) (United States)
Running time
89 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$351,163[1][2]

Good One is a 2024 American drama film, written, directed, and produced by India Donaldson in her directorial debut. It stars Lily Collias, James Le Gros and Danny McCarthy.

It had its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2024, and was released on August 9, 2024, by Metrograph Pictures. It received critical acclaim and was named one of the top 10 independent films of 2024 by the National Board of Review.[3]

Plot

[edit]

Sam is a girl who plans to go on a weekend-long camping trip in the Catskills with her father, Chris; his recently-divorced friend, Matt; and Matt's son, Dylan. Dylan, resentful of the divorce, refuses to go. Sam seems upset by this and offers to talk to Dylan, but is rebuffed. On the way there, Matt and Chris banter back and forth, with Matt making jokes and Chris teasing him. Sam sleeps in the car on the way, occasionally waking up when Chris asks her to respond to a text on his phone. The three of them get one hotel room, with Sam sleeping on a sleeping bag on the floor while the two men take the beds. At dinner, Matt teases Sam light-heartedly about her being queer, and teases Chris about having a newborn baby at home with his second wife.

On the way from the hotel to the trail, Sam drives while Chris criticizes her driving. When they arrive, Chris criticizes Matt for packing too much stuff for the trail, dumping out his pack and identifying unnecessary items. The trio hikes for a while, with Sam enjoying quiet moments in nature. As they hike, Sam repeatedly has to leave the trail to change her tampon. Some time after they begin hiking, Matt realizes he had forgotten his sleeping bag in the car, and Chris makes fun of him for doing so. When she gets cell reception, Sam texts her girlfriend back home.

That night, as they are making camp, three hikers come and pitch camp directly next to them. Sam wants to ask them to move, but her father says to let it go. Sam cooks ramen for Chris and Matt, who praise her cooking. After dinner, the three hikers join them around the fire, talking about previous hikes. Envious of the places they have been, Chris half-jokingly resolves to hike through China.

The next day, the three continue their hike, and enjoy many quiet moments in nature. Throughout the hike, Sam often takes on responsibilities of caring for the group, such as dismantling the tent. They arrive at a picturesque overlook and spend time admiring the beauty. Matt comments that he should go on more hikes, and Chris condescendingly agrees. That night, Sam, Chris, and Matt sit around the fire telling scary stories. Chris and Matt are drinking, and are visibly intoxicated. Matt tells the story of he and Dylan's mother cheating on one another as a "spooky story" and Sam criticizes him for not taking more responsibility for his role in his marriage ending. In doing so, she criticizes her dad for dating a woman shortly after divorcing her mother, and having a newborn baby at this stage of his life. Matt and Chris praise Sam's wisdom and knowledge, and Matt tells Chris, "you got a good one." Chris goes to bed, and Sam and Matt continue talking. Matt continues to speak self-deprecatingly, with Sam offering insights. Matt calls her wise, and praises her maturity. Sam says she is going to go to bed, and jokingly offers to keep the fire going so Matt can sleep next to it, since he had forgotten his sleeping bag. Matt responds by suggesting that Sam could join him in his tent to keep him warm. Sam sits in stunned silence before leaving.

The next day, Sam and Chris go off on their own and go swimming. Sam tries to tell her father about what Matt had said, but Chris brushes her off, telling her she can't be offended by what Matt says and that he wants to just have a nice day. Sam goes off on her own and cries, feeling betrayed by her father and family friend. She collects rocks, which she puts in Chris and Matt's packs. She then hikes ahead of them, going back to the car on her own. When Chris and Matt catch up, Chris is angry with Sam for leaving without them and asks her to drive. Sam agrees to drive, but locks Chris and Matt out of the car. After a few moments, she unlocks the car. Her father climbs into the passenger seat, makes eye contact with Sam, and, in the film's final shot, sets a rock on the dashboard.

Cast

[edit]
  • Lily Collias as Sam
  • James Le Gros as Chris
  • Danny McCarthy as Matt
  • Julian Grady as Dylan
  • Sumaya Bouhbal as Jessie
  • Diana Irvine as Casey
  • Sam Lanier as Zach
  • Peter McNally as Jake
  • Eric Yates as Andy

Release

[edit]

The film had its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2024.[4][5] In February 2024, Metrograph Pictures acquired distribution rights to the film, their first acquisition since expanding into theatrical distribution of films.[6] It also screened at New Directors/New Films Festival on April 4, 2024.[7][8] and at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival in the Directors' Fortnight section.[9][10] It was released on August 9, 2024.[11]

The film has been selected for the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2024 under the World Cinema section.[12]

Reception

[edit]

Critical reception

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 98% of 99 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.2/10. The website's consensus reads: "A beautifully acted depiction of being caught between a rock and a hard place, Good One confronts difficult emotions and yields a striking feature debut for writer-director India Donaldson."[13][14] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 87 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[15]

For The Hollywood Reporter, David Rooney wrote that "Donaldson is careful not to make the men unsympathetic, but at the same time, Collias' body language and the telltale flickers across her expressive face suggest that Sam isn't entirely comfortable with her prescriptive gender role as the designated nurturer and caregiver — the good one, as the title indicates. While it remains between the lines of the screenplay, there's significance in Sam's identity as a young queer woman ready to focus on her own relationship and future, not thrilled to be bolstering the fragile egos of two middle-aged men."[16]

Accolades

[edit]
Award Ceremony date Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Sundance Film Festival 18 January 2024 U.S. Dramatic Competition Good One Nominated [17]
Independent Film Festival Boston 8 May 2024 Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature Won [18]
Cannes Film Festival 25 May 2024 Directors' Fortnight Nominated [17]
Camera d'Or Nominated [19]
Champs-Élysées Film Festival 25 June 2024 Grand Jury Prize for Best American Independent Feature Film Won [20]
Melbourne International Film Festival 25 August 2024 Bright Horizons Award Pending [21]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Good One (2024)". The Numbers. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  2. ^ "Good One (2024)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  3. ^ "2024 Archives". National Board of Review. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  4. ^ "Good One". 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  5. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Patten, Dominic (December 6, 2023). "Sundance Unveils Packed 2024 Lineup That Includes A.I., Pedro Pascal, Kristen Stewart, Satan, Devo & Steven Yeun". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  6. ^ Lang, Brent (February 13, 2024). "Metrograph Pictures Buys Sundance Breakout 'Good One' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  7. ^ "Good One". New Directors/New Films Festival. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  8. ^ Lattanzio, Ryan (April 2, 2024). "10 Movies to See at New Directors/New Films, NYC's Premier Showcase for Emerging Filmmakers". IndieWire. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  9. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (April 16, 2024). "Cannes Directors' Fortnight: Michael Cera Christmas Movie, Sundance Breakout 'Good One' and Sophie Fillières' Posthumous Film Among Lineup". Variety. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  10. ^ "Good One". 2024 Cannes Film Festival. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  11. ^ Grobar, Matt (April 17, 2024). "Metrograph Pictures Dates India Donaldson's Sundance Drama 'Good One' For August". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  12. ^ Deb, Deepshikha (October 9, 2024). "25 Must-Watch Movies at the 2024 MAMI Mumbai Film Festival". High On Films. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  13. ^ "Good One". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
  14. ^ "Good One". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
  15. ^ "Good One". Metacritic. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  16. ^ David Rooney, "'Good One' Review: Lily Collias is a Luminous Discovery in Affecting Micro-Portrait of Late-Adolescence". The Hollywood Reporter, January 21, 2024.
  17. ^ a b Lattanzio, Ryan. "'Good One' Trailer: The Sundance Coming-of-Age Favorite Is Now Destined for Cannes". IndieWire. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  18. ^ "🏆 Congratulations to our Special and Grand Jury Prize winners for narrative and documentary features! 🏆". X. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  19. ^ "The 2024 Caméra d'or: who are the contenders?". Cannes Film Festival. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  20. ^ "The winners of the Champs-Élysées Film Festival 2024". Sortir a Paris. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  21. ^ "Good One". Melbourne International Film Festival. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
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