Good One

Good One isn’t quite skilful or original enough to transcend its schematic structure. But it’s still a very fine piece of work, starting with its lovely, richly textured cinematography (by Wilson Cameron) through its precisely modulated ensemble acting.

What unfolds is both intensely compelling and almost impossible to describe.

But the familiar path to all-is-forgiven group hugs is the stuff of that less interesting film. This one has teeth.

India Donaldson’s Good One is a sneaky revelation, a low-key coming-of-age drama that deftly sidesteps familiar tropes in favour of keen cringe comedy and emotional precision.

This excellent film from first-time director India Donaldson is a smart, sympathetic and terrifically acted drama about 17-year-old Sam -- an outstanding performance from Lily Collias.

It's subtle; nothing is underlined. You can discover the movie as it goes along for yourself.

Accompanied by Celia Hollander's acoustic guitar score, it's a deliberately quiet film that eschews melodramatic arguments and simplistic coming-of-age drama resolutions.

[Lily] Collias is a real find, her sulky but prematurely enlightened teenager a tangible blend of defiance and vulnerability.

Throughout Good One, the moments are largely subtle, speaking to wider issues, and it is why Donaldson’s debut is so unforgettable and deceptively powerful.

Good One is a film of surpassing subtlety, not least in terms of the three actors’ body language; the note-perfect Collias is a major discovery.