Goods2024.
Written and directed by India Donaldson.
With Lily Collias, James Le Gros, Danny McCarthy, Sumaya Bouhbal, Diana Irvine, Sam Lanier, Peter McNally and Eric Yates.
SUMMARY:
During a weekend backpacking trip to the Catskills, 17-year-old Sam navigates the ego conflict between her father and his oldest friend.
In India Donaldsons GoodsSam (a captivating performance by newcomer Lily Collias) is backpacking with her father, Chris (James Le Gros), which seems to be her favorite activity to build a bond between the two. Along for the ride are her father’s longtime friend Matt (Danny McCarthy) and his son, at least until they get into an argument at the front door when they try to pick her up for the drive to the Catskills. The son decides to stay behind. Even with this unexpected mess in their plans, one can imagine this trio having done something similar before, perhaps several times. The point is that this time, college student Sam’s relationship with these two men will change forever, especially her father, whom she finds increasingly colder as she slowly begins to understand his most unlikable qualities more and more.
Whether it’s Chris being passive-aggressive toward his current partner (he’s divorced from Sam’s mother), stubbornly refusing to listen to what his daughter says about his behavior, or Matt’s pitiful routine (not to mention a cringe-worthy lack of preparation that frustrates his girlfriend and often belittles her), the 17-year-old girl regularly proves herself to be the smartest person in the car and in the woods. Much of the runtime consists of Sam, who is very wise for her age, giving them individual advice that their father generally ignores and is sometimes heeded by Matt, who we can assume is some sort of uncle considering how long he’s probably been in their lives.
India Donaldson also captures the Catskills in quiet, stunning beauty, maneuvering the characters into striking locations like cliffs and rivers. She also sees Sam as a character beyond the story being told, ensuring that the girl has a life beyond camping with her father and his best friend. Sam is shown texting friends on the car ride there and her period is spaced out throughout the days. Small scenes like this also give the film a greater power; she is a young girl on the cusp of adulthood, but by the end she should also be emotionally incapable of the situation she is in.
Chris and Matt both have failed marriages behind them, meaning that between making quick meals and hiking, Sam often finds herself listening and responding to their conversations and dissatisfaction with life. While it’s also pretty obvious where the story is going in terms of this character dynamic, particularly one moment that drastically changes things forever, India Donaldson is aware that she shouldn’t focus the entire third act on it.
Goods remains fixated on characterization, with naturalistic dialogue from everyone and a phenomenally understated performance from Lily Collias, focusing on how her perception of these two men changes. It’s an exquisitely filmed (Wilson Cameron) devastating coming-of-age story in which a girl loses virtually all respect for her father and presumably one other close male figure, and also points to the disturbing truth of how girls, especially those with high levels of maturity, are perceived as they move closer to womanhood.
Even if progress is sometimes harmfully slow, Goods is always gripping and leaves you waiting for something to break the already tense connections (with Celia Hollander’s menacing music setting the stage). The ending is particularly hard to shake off and gives the impression that the relationship between these three has fallen apart.
Assessment of the flickering myth – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Cinema: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the reviews editor at Flickering Myth. Find new reviews here, follow my Þjórsárdalur or Letterboxd, or email me at [email protected]
