An exceptional first feature about a daughter, a father and casual remarks that can linger for a lifetime, writer-director India Donaldson’s feature debut “Good One” plays like a near-perfect short story or novella, handled just so. Donaldson shot it in 12 days. You have just a few days to catch the Chicago premiere at the Gene Siskel Film Center.
In the opening minutes, high school senior Sam, played by the quietly phenomenal newcomer Lily Collias, is at home in her bedroom, somewhere in New York City, talking, laughing, texting with her friend and maybe-lover Jessie (Sumaya Bouhbal). Sam’s about to leave on her annual Catskills hiking excursion with her tightly wound father, Chris, played by James Le Gros. Early the next morning, father and daughter pick up Chris’ longtime actor friend, Matt (longtime Chicago stage veteran Danny McCarthy) and Matt’s son, still reeling from his parents’ recent breakup.
Sam knows how that goes; this is her dad’s second marriage. Then, we see and sort-of hear what Sam sees from the back seat, looking outside: a few rough seconds of a father/son argument, followed by stone-quiet Matt getting in the car, alone. “Good One” doesn’t have a lot of overt narrative to its narrative, which is fine (ideal, in fact) because not much is necessary.
It’s a film sustained by its three main characters: what they say, how they say it and when they don’t say anything. Without Matt’s son along for the trip, Sam feels a little awkward .