Not to be confused with the haunted house dog in the movie also titled Good Boy, this English thriller brings dark humor to a setting that is the stuff of absolutely disturbing true crime shows.
Stephen Graham and Andrea Risborough star as a married couple who, from a distance, might seem to be living a blissful life in the English countryside. On their remote estate, strong metal gates keep out the crazy modern world. Their large home has enough space for a master bedroom with a loft bed, a room for their young and adorable son, nicknamed “Sunshine,” a guest room for a live-in maid, and a spacious basement perfect for laundry and crafting special projects. But it’s anything but charming, with former police officer Chris and his fragile wife Kathryn working in the basement.
Polish filmmaker Jan Komasa’s A Good Boy shares plot points with Pedro Almodóvar’s disturbing psychological thriller The Skin I Live In, and Slavery with the comedic edge of a midnight movie. The result is something gentle but not exactly great.
Wait, what is Good Boy about?
As teased in the film’s first promotional image (above), Good Boy follows the rehabilitation efforts of Chris and his family, inflicted on 19-year-old bully Tommy (Anson Boone), who has been exposing his reckless exploits on social media with no apparent consequences.
Before we meet Chris’s cozy and unconventional family, Good Boy immerses us in Tommy’s chaotic lifestyle. The blonde party boy indulges in clubbing, drugs, public sex, and violence on a night out with a devil-may-care attitude that’s less uplifting and more unsettling. As he eases home, oblivious to the debauchery of every vice in his damned vicinity, a car rears up behind him and someone pulls over to grab him.
From there, Good Boy jumps to another figure who will fall into this family’s realm. An immigrant from Macedonia, Rina (Monika Frajczyk) considers taking a cleaning job at Chris’s house, even though his questions to her include whether or not she has any “differentiating marks.”
The flash in her eyes acknowledges this red flag, but her desire to overdo it suggests she has little other choice. From the moment she arrives at Chris and Kathryn’s home, she becomes the audience’s surrogate, guiding us through the house and its more curious aspects, like the boy clinging to his neck in the basement.
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Anson Boone is exciting as a title good boy.
There are traces of Trainspotting Tommy, especially his attitude towards “choosing” that embraces depravity over citizenship. Although chained like a bad dog, he won’t make it easy for his captors. Where Reena might be an ally, he quickly ghosts her, sparking with a stern, talking-out Chris.
Kas Tomijs ir Krisam, un Kathryn netiek uzreiz skaidri pateikts. Viņu misija tomēr ir lauzt zēnu, līdz viņš ir “labs”. Viņu metodes svārstās no šausminošajiem līdz komiskajam. Dažreiz Tomija apmācība ietver videoklipu skatīšanos par labu etiķeti, ko izveidojusi Kriss un viņa saule (Kit Rakusen). Citreiz spēlē vardarbīgi līdzekļi, piemēram, apdullināšanas pistole. Rīkošanās tā, it kā viņš tiktu elektriski izveidots, ir tikai fiziskuma mala, ko pieprasa Boona loma. Un viņš katram mirklim piešķir savvaļas intensitāti.
Tā kā ģimene kļūst uzticīga Tomija lēnajam, bet vienmērīgajam progresam, viņi sāk burtiski pagarināt viņa pavadu. Tas nozīmē, ka Boons dažreiz cīnās ar verdzību, un citreiz atrod veidus, kā panākt, lai tā darbotos viņa labā. Viņa acīs ir modrība, kas atklāj, ka viņš vēl nav salauzts, pat ja viņš spēlē jauki, lai nomierinātu savus sagūstītājus. Tomijs ir mežonīgi dzīvs, un, izmantojot to, viņš ietekmē visu mājā, lai sevī apskautu kaut ko mežonīgu, neatkarīgi no tā, vai tas no jauna atklāj viņu dzimumtieksmi, prieku vai viņu zinātkāri par pasauli, kas atrodas ārpus vārtiem.
Stefans Grehems un Andrea Risboro veido nepāra pāri, kas kalts ellē.
Grehems ir fantastisks liešanas gabals, jo angļu aktieris ir spēlējis virkni grūtu puišu tādos iestudējumos kā Ņujorkas bandas, šī ir Anglija, sabiedrības ienaidnieki, un Tūkstoš sitieni. Pavisam nesen viņš tomēr uzmundrināja kritiķus un auditoriju, spēlējot sirdi plosošo un nepastāvīgo tēvu Netflix’s Mocking Crime Mini-Series Pusaudža vecumsApvidū Tagad, Labs zēnsGrehems ir suņu maigi – līdz viņa nav.
Kriss noteikti dod priekšroku burkānam uz nūju, kad runa ir par disciplīnu. Bet pati Grehema liešana brīdina skatītājus, ka nūja ir neizbēgama. Šie vardarbības draudi tiek atkārtoti viņa dēla trīcošajās acīs, kura jautrība var pieskarties teroram kā gaismas slēdzis. Tas, kas notika šajā mājā, pirms Tomija ierašanās, iespējams, netiks runāts, bet tēva un dēla mijiedarbības laikā tas ir pietiekami skaidrs.
Tomēr Risboro loma ir vēl satraucošāka. Filmas sākumā viņai ir zēns pagrabā un jauna sieviete, kas tīrīja savas ģimenes putru, kamēr viņa skatās pa logu, klusē un ģērbās kā Viktorijas laikmeta spoks garos, zīdaini baltos naktskreklos. Bet, kad Tomijs progresē, viņa zied kā Belladonna, ziedojot modernāku apģērbu, runājot un pat piegādājot savu vecāku zīmolu mīkstos, bet dzēlīgos toņos.
Tātad, neviens no tiem neizklausās tik smieklīgi, vai ne? Nu, Labs zēnsHumora izjūta ir apņēmīgi tumša. Tās smiekli galvenokārt nāk no vietas, kur Krisa plāna absurds saduras ar Tomija attieksmi pret krājumiem. Kopumā filma ir smieklīgāka kā dīvaini nekā smieklīgi kā humoristiski.
This becomes a bit of a problem as Komasa approaches the film’s wild resolution. The ending, while appropriately disturbing, feels frustratingly undeserved, perhaps because the restrained approach to its visual style doesn’t support such a horrific outcome.
The wardrobe and appearance of the family and their home are slightly adjusted from the standard to seem almost like a caricature of a happy family. Chris’s hair is carefully combed, his shirt buttoned, his jeans pressed, his glasses are not a rental, even if he’s just leading the offender into his basement. Kathryn’s outfit, meanwhile, gives the impression of Gray Gardens without the spooky decay. Subtle visual clues hint that this family is a somber one. But if Komasa had channeled their weirdness more into more visual imagery, his twisted ending might have felt more fitting, rather than a bit of a cheat.
However, if you’re looking for some scary and fucked-up entertainment, Good Boy should scratch that late-night itch.
Good Boy was reviewed from its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
