What happened, though?
“Good One” is intriguing in its disinterest in explanations. The film’s refusal to “satisfy” an audience with easy explanations or even cathartic moments pulls you into its atmosphere, dragging you into the weird dynamic which grows more claustrophobic by the moment. Sam has her period and keeps leaving the path to put in a tampon, as Chris and Sam wait in the background, completely oblivious to her extra burden. She’s got this whole world going on they have no idea about. The period is an intriguing detail (all the details are intriguing in this beautiful film, including its evocative title), highlighting the biological difference, but also highlighting her isolation. The only women in the movie are back home. Sam is on her own.
I took a friend to the press screening, and we walked home, talking about it the whole way. There was so much to discuss, and I can’t help but think it’s because what it all “means” is left unsaid. Donaldson does not take the easy way out.
The majority of the film takes place outside. Cinematographer Wilson Cameron (who also directed two of Donaldon’s shorts) captures the lush greenery, the way the bodies move through it, the vistas. In some of the more intimate scenes, he utilizes very interesting framing where one head looms in the foreground, and another head peeks out from behind the blockage. The characters are crammed into the frame, but in each others’ way. The sound design is exquisite: the vivid sounds of rushing water, bugs, and birds take the place of dialogue. There are long sequences where we watch the characters hike, set up tents, break down their campsite. The rhythm is soothing, but underneath, things are curdling, shattering.
Most of the film happens on Collias’ face. She is an astonishing young actress, where every flicker of thought, discomfort, humor, and shock shows. Her face leads us. The subterranean shift is Sam’s, a tectonic plate moving far beneath the surface of her life, marking her indelibly. When Sam exits the forest, she’s not the same girl as when she went in. Everything has changed.