Good Grief Review – Where Art Heals…
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
“You’re right, people don’t have their shit together. But I think for our sake… we have to try harder.”
Written and directed by Dan Levy, “Good Grief” starts with a beautiful celebratory Christmas scene where a roomful of friends and family sings together. Their joy is abruptly interrupted by police sirens outside, as one of their own dies in a car accident after leaving early to catch a flight.
Dan Levy portrays the protagonist Marc, who witnesses the death of his husband Oliver (Luke Evans) in the accident, shattering his existence. Marc’s best friends Sophie (Ruth Negga) and Thomas (Himesh Patel) help him stay afloat and not drown in loss. However, things begin to unravel when they take a trip to Paris, and each of them finally fess up about things they’ve been holding back from each other.
Luke Evans only has a small cameo as Marc’s husband, but his presence is magnetic as the charismatic author Oliver, with bestselling books being made into movies. One wishes there were some more flashback scenes of Marc reminiscing about his time with Oliver. However, with a crisp 1-hour 40-minute runtime, the primary focus of the film is on Marc’s efforts to start over his life with the help of his friends. “For such a meticulous person, he left behind one hell of a mess,” Marc says in one scene about his deceased husband. The dialogue succinctly conveys how the protagonist is left to pick up a lot of pieces after his partner’s death and not simply grieve in peace. Dan Levy delivers his best bits in the happier moments of the film, and is even more biting in scenes where he grudgingly gives in to participating in social activities with his friends. So while Dan is potent as the “bitter widower” parts, he struggles a bit with scenes that require him to be emotionally vulnerable.
The cinematography in “Good Grief” is dreamily charming, with the opening scene setting the tone for a story rooted in art, music, love, and friendship. Whether going to karaoke with friends to sing his heart out or playing a record from his husband’s collection to ease their pain, music is a recurring and powerful presence throughout the runtime. Art also plays a significant role; Marc is an artist and children’s book illustrator. When he meets a new man called Theo, the latter takes him to an art museum in Paris and shares something profoundly poetic and beautiful.
However, while the artistic nods are a treat for those artistically inclined, sometimes the dialogues become too literary, as if rehearsed rather than spontaneous. Even some of the casual heart-to-heart conversations between Marc, Thomas, and Sophie sound like they are having a “who can spout a more quotable response” competition. Regardless of the slightly “trying too hard to be literary” writing, the friendships portrayed in “Good Grief” are a joy to watch. Who doesn’t want to have friends who they can trust to go looking out for them at 2 am in the night if they smell something fishy?
“Good Grief” is a good look at grief, love, and the complexities of modern relationships. The film fluidly comes a full circle at the end – it begins with friends and family singing together, celebrating music and the climax closes with Marc’s friends celebrating art again.
Rating: 7.5 on 10. Stream “Good Grief” on Netflix.
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