In ‘Good One,’ a family camping trip is full of emotional switchbacks
Justin Chang Tonya Mosley
On its surface, Good One is about a teen on a backpacking trip with her dad and his friend. But the film is so sharp and engrossing you might not notice the deeper story taking shape underneath.
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Too often, the month of August is regarded as a fallow period for moviegoing, after the big blockbusters of the summer but before the awards contenders of the fall. But the aptly titled new movie Good One is a reminder that there are always smart, interesting films being released, if you’re willing to look beyond the obvious. As it turns out, looking beyond the obvious is something that the writer-director India Donaldson has a real knack for. In just 90 minutes, she tells a three-character story that appears simple enough on the surface, yet it’s so sharp and engrossing that you might not immediately notice the deeper story taking shape underneath.

Lily Collias plays 17-year-old Sam, who’s going backpacking in the Catskills with her father, Chris — that’s the terrific James Le Gros in a too-rare leading role. They’re supposed to be joined by Chris’ oldest friend, Matt, and his teenage son, Dylan. But Matt winds up being the only one to come along; he and Dylan’s mom are recently divorced, and Dylan isn’t taking it well.

Chris himself has been divorced for a while, and he and Sam have a pretty harmonious relationship by comparison. They seem to get along even when they’re bickering, as happens when Chris criticizes Sam’s driving.

Much of the movie consists of Sam listening quietly as Chris and Matt go on and on, reminiscing about old times yet always finding new things to grouse about. Chris, a savvy outdoorsman, can’t stop complaining about how badly Matt has overpacked for a three-day hiking trip.

While the two men rarely ask Sam how she’s doing or feeling, they seem cool enough where it counts. Chris has long been supportive of his daughter’s queer identity; she has a girlfriend whom she texts during the trip, whenever she can get a cellphone signal. Matt tells Sam that she’s wise beyond her years: Unlike all the other reckless, rebellious teenagers out there, she’s a rare “good one” in his book.

Scene by scene, however, writer-director Donaldson paints a subtler picture of the dynamics at work. At times Good One reminded me of Kelly Reichardt’s quietly perceptive 2006 drama, Old Joy, which also squeezed a lot of emotional history into a fateful camping trip.

You get the sense that Sam has traveled a bunch with her dad and Matt before, and that she’s long adjusted to her designated role. When the three of them share a motel room on their way up to the Catskills, it’s Sam who instinctively rolls out her sleeping bag, without even being asked, leaving the two beds to the men. And once they reach their campsite, it’s Sam who cooks dinner for the three of them without complaint. The dynamics are complicated. Beneath the men’s easygoing manner, there’s an unmistakable air of condescension toward Sam, a sense that their appreciation of her is more conditional than genuine.

If Sam resents them for any of this, she doesn’t show it, at least not at first. Collias gives a beautifully understated performance; with very little effort, she can register everything from wry affection to barely concealed exasperation. And Donaldson, working with the cinematographer Wilson Cameron, proves as keenly observant as her protagonist. She’s alive to the beauty of the mountains, whether it’s the sight of a majestic canyon or the sound of rushing water. Some of the movie’s slow-simmering tension arises from your uncertainty about what might be lurking nearby, whether it’s a bear in search of food or three young men they cross paths with on the hiking trail.

But Good One isn’t one of those movies in which a journey into the wilderness spirals into horror. The dangers that Donaldson introduces are of a more intimate and perhaps more insidious nature. There comes a moment in the story when everything changes, and it’s at once surprising and unsurprising, all too believable and, in the moment, perhaps a little contrived.

But that hardly matters. What matters is how Sam responds to this sudden shift, and Collias shows her unpacking that response almost in real time, and with a nearly wordless intensity. Good One has the concision of a sharply etched short story, but what happens by the end can’t be easily summed up. Sam won’t soon forget the lessons of this particular trip, and neither will we.

Transcript

TONYA MOSLEY, HOST:

This is FRESH AIR. Our film critic Justin Chang recommends the independent drama "Good One," which premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival and opens in theaters August 9. It's the first feature written and directed by India Donaldson and stars James Le Gros and Lily Collias as father and daughter on a camping trip that goes gradually and suspensefully awry. Here's Justin's review.

JUSTIN CHANG, BYLINE: Too often, the month of August is regarded as a fallow period for moviegoing, after the big blockbusters of the summer but before the awards contenders of the fall. But the aptly titled new movie "Good One" is a reminder that there are always smart, interesting films being released if you're willing to look beyond the obvious. As it turns out, looking beyond the obvious is something that the writer-director India Donaldson has a real knack for. In just 90 minutes, she tells a three-character story that appears simple enough on the surface, yet it's so sharp and engrossing that you might not immediately notice the deeper story taking shape underneath.

Lily Collias plays 17-year-old Sam, who's going backpacking in the Catskills with her father, Chris - that's the terrific James Le Gros in a too-rare leading role. They're supposed to be joined by Chris' oldest friend, Matt, and his teenage son, Dylan. But Matt winds up being the only one to come along. He and Dylan's mom are recently divorced, and Dylan isn't taking it well.

Chris himself has been divorced for a while. And he and Sam have a pretty harmonious relationship by comparison. They seem to get along even when they're bickering, as in this scene where Chris criticizes Sam's driving.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "GOOD ONE")

JAMES LE GROS: (As Chris) OK, so on this curve - just easy, easy.

LILY COLLIAS: (As Sam) I'm taking them easy.

LE GROS: (As Chris) Yeah, yeah. Just sometimes, it doesn't feel easy.

COLLIAS: (As Sam) I'm just driving.

LE GROS: (As Chris) OK, slow down a little bit. Just slow down.

COLLIAS: (As Sam) I'm going the speed limit.

LE GROS: (As Chris) You're actually going five miles over.

COLLIAS: (As Sam) I'm not. And you always go, like, at least 10 over.

LE GROS: (As Chris) That is my privilege as father.

DANNY MCCARTHY: (As Matt) She's a better driver than you, man.

LE GROS: (As Chris) That's because I taught her.

COLLIAS: (As Sam) Thank you, Matt.

LE GROS: (As Chris) Take a left up here.

CHANG: Much of the movie consists of Sam listening quietly as Chris and Matt go on and on, reminiscing about old times, yet always finding new things to grouse about. Chris, a savvy outdoorsman, can't stop complaining about how badly Matt has overpacked for a three-day hiking trip. While the two men rarely ask Sam how she's doing or feeling, they seem cool enough where it counts. Chris has long been supportive of his daughter's queer identity. She has a girlfriend whom she texts during the trip whenever she can get a cellphone signal. Matt tells Sam that she's wise beyond her years. Unlike all the other reckless, rebellious teenagers out there, she's a rare good one in his book.

Scene by scene, however, writer-director Donaldson paints a subtler picture of the dynamics at work. At times, "Good One" reminded me of Kelly Reichardt's quietly perceptive 2006 drama, "Old Joy," which also squeezed a lot of emotional history into a fateful camping trip.

You get the sense that Sam has traveled a bunch with her dad and Matt before and that she's long adjusted to her designated role. When the three of them share a motel room on their way up to the Catskills, it's Sam who instinctively rolls out her sleeping bag without even being asked, leaving the two beds to the men. And once they reach their campsite, it's Sam who cooks dinner for the three of them without complaint.

The dynamics are complicated. Beneath the men's easygoing manner, there's an unmistakable air of condescension toward Sam, a sense that their appreciation of her is more conditional than genuine. If Sam resents them for any of this, she doesn't show it, at least not at first. Collias gives a beautifully understated performance. With very little effort, she can register everything from wry affection to barely concealed exasperation. And Donaldson, working with the cinematographer Wilson Cameron, proves as keenly observant as her protagonist. She's alive to the beauty of the mountains, whether it's the site of a majestic canyon or the sound of rushing water.

Some of the movie's slow-simmering tension arises from your uncertainty about what might be lurking nearby, whether it's a bear in search of food or three young men they cross paths with on the hiking trail. But "Good One" isn't one of those movies in which a journey into the wilderness spirals into horror. The dangers that Donaldson introduces are of a more intimate and perhaps more insidious nature. There comes a moment in the story when everything changes, and it's at once surprising and unsurprising, all too believable and, in the moment, perhaps a little contrived. But that hardly matters. What matters is how Sam responds to this sudden shift, and Collias shows her unpacking that response almost in real time and with a nearly wordless intensity.

"Good One" has the concision of a sharply etched short story. But what happens by the end can't be easily summed up. Sam won't soon forget the lessons of this particular trip, and neither will we.

MOSLEY: Justin Chang is a film critic for The New Yorker. He reviewed the new movie "Good One." If you'd like to catch up on interviews you missed, like our interview with investigative reporter Caitlin Dickerson, who traveled to the inhospitable Darien Gap to document the struggles of migrants making their way to the U.S., or with pediatric surgeon doctor Dr. Ala Stanford, who dedicated herself to addressing health inequities in underserved Philadelphia neighborhoods at the height of the pandemic, check out our podcast, where you'll find lots of FRESH AIR interviews. And to find out what's happening behind the scenes of our show and get our producers' recommendations on what to watch, read or listen to, subscribe to our free newsletter at whyy.org/freshair.

(SOUNDBITE OF TEDDY WILSON'S "ROSE ROOM")

MOSLEY: FRESH AIR's executive producer is Danny Miller. Our technical director and engineer is Audrey Bentham. Our interviews and reviews are produced and edited by Phyllis Myers, Roberta Shorrock, Ann Marie Baldonado, Sam Briger, Lauren Krenzel, Therese Madden, Monique Nazareth, Susan Nyakundi and Joel Wolfram. Our digital media producer is Molly Seavy-Nesper. And we'd like to welcome our new visual and digital producer, Sabrina Siewert. Thea Chaloner directed today's show. With Terry Gross, I'm Tonya Mosley.

(SOUNDBITE OF TEDDY WILSON'S "ROSE ROOM") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.