GOOD ONE

Director: India Donaldson

90min., R

Open Caption Screening: Monday, October 14 at 4 pm

 

It’s great to see first time writer/directors still creating original, independent films in an industry dominated by (would-be) blockbusters. India Donaldson’s Good One is an insightful, piercing debut that, like few other films, takes as its subject the inner life of a 17-year-old girl (Lily Collias), as she begins to claim her own identity. Sam, who is queer, embarks on a three-day backpacking trip in the Catskills with her dad, Chris (James Le Gros) and his oldest friend, Matt (Danny McCarthy). As the two men settle into a quarrelsome brotherly dynamic, they depend on Sam to be the nurturing peacemaker. But when Sam’s trust is betrayed, tensions reach a fever pitch, and Sam is forced to experience the moment when the strength of a parental bond is tested. A nominee for awards at the upcoming Sundance and Cannes Film Festivals, Good One is one the year’s indie breakouts, “But the real breakout is Lily Collias. She carries the whole film in an unforgettable depiction of modern girlhood.” – Lindsay Bahr, AP News