Following his remarkable success with “Schitt’s Creek”, Dan Levy treads into uncharted territory with his feature film directorial debut, attempting to tackle the subject of moving on from a significant life event. The end product, “Good Grief”, shows the Emmy winner both excelling and faltering as a writer and director.
The film begins at a Christmas bash hosted by Marc (Levy) and his famous author husband Oliver (Luke Evans). The night takes a tragic turn as Oliver's life is cut short by a car accident, throwing Marc's life into a whirlwind of grief and confusion. The plot intensifies when Marc uncovers Oliver’s pre-death confession of infidelity in a year-old Christmas card, and the existence of a secret Parisian apartment that Oliver was headed to on the fateful night of his death.
"Good Grief" follows Marc’s journey into the heart of his grief and reflects upon the complexity of human emotions. Supporting Marc are his two closest friends, Sophie (Ruth Negga) and Thomas (Himesh Patel), who accompany him to Paris, unaware of the real reason behind their journey.
Levy and his script shine in piecing together Marc’s intricate web of emotions, but the supporting characters lag behind, often serving as mere mirrors to Marc’s feelings. Despite the warm performances from Negga and Patel, the film falters in developing their characters, leaving them somewhat two-dimensional.
As the narrative unfolds, viewers might feel the film drags a bit when Marc quickly falls into another relationship. The move, while understandable as a tool for Marc's self-redefinition, feels forced and predictable.The film also runs the risk of dwelling too deep in Marc's gloom, rendering the secondary characters somewhat unreal.
However, despite the film's shortcomings, the empathy it evokes towards these fragmented lives could be a silver lining for viewers – and a promising start for Levy's subsequent endeavors as a filmmaker. In particular, Ruth Negga displays compelling performance chops, proving once again that she's an actor capable of transforming any role.
“Good Grief” is slated to air on Netflix starting January 5th after a limited initial release.
