Grief. It’s an emotion that is frequently paired with loss; the loss of an opportunity, an item, or in this film’s case, a loved one. It’s a complicated, messy emotion that sometimes leads a person to perform questionable actions while they are at their worst. But as A Good Person plays on, we are forced to look at the actions of almost every character and truly ask ourselves “What does it mean to be a good person?”
Directed by Zach Braff, A Good Person follows the protagonist Allison (Florence Pugh) as she struggles with the grief of losing her to be sister-in-law and her husband in a car accident on the freeway, and her fall into addiction succeeding it. This leads her to connect with her ex-fiancé’s father Daniel (Morgan Freeman), who now has custody of his teenage granddaughter Ryan (Celeste O’Connor), as they both try to do the right thing for their loved ones and each other.
Many of us are familiar with the opioid epidemic, an event fueled by the pushing of addictive painkillers for chronic pain by large pharmaceuticals for money. But it is an entirely different thing for someone to see the effects that it can have on another person rather than just staring at the rolling statistics on a local news broadcast. Throughout the film, Florence Pugh truly shows the struggle that one can have when faced with addiction and encapsulates how a single mistake can lead a person to spiral, as addiction begins to affect the relationships that we have with others and ourselves. Allison spirals multiple times throughout the movie and she makes mistakes, sometimes the same ones over and over. But not only were these scenes beautifully sequenced and well executed, they were a breath of fresh air because they showed how complicated it is to deal with negative feelings. By having Allison repeat these same mistakes, even when she knew better, it showed the true challenge of overcoming addiction, as well as how it is impossible to be “perfect”. Allison’s struggles throughout the film bring into question what it is to be a good person, because she continually tries to be better, and to act with good intentions, but still falls short in many ways.
It’s easy to see that the dialogue was written with character interactions in mind. A Good Person is entirely character-driven, and the conversations between characters serve to motivate them to press on, while also causing many of the mistakes that characters make. There are numerous moments throughout the movie where one character would verbally highlight the worst and best aspects of another with such brutal honesty that it is impossible for viewers to not be affected and shed a tear or two. Because what would one do if their actions, despite having the best intentions, were flayed apart in front of them because of the harm it has done to others as their life continues to crumble? Would you still feel like a good person? Would you still be one?
Though there is no villain in the story, each of the deeply flawed characters are forced to look inside themselves as they go through their lives after such a tragic loss. This is especially seen with the two main characters, Allison and Daniel. Though, for a film like this, a large cast isn’t necessary to get the message across. By limiting the characters of the story, Braff creates a more intimate environment that allows viewers to become more familiar with the characters and understand their choices in a cohesive storyline. Braff is able to bring a very emotional story of the struggle faced after a great loss is suffered, and with the intimacy he brings to the table with such a small cast, it also breeds deeper connections between viewers and characters that drives home the message of the story, of what it truly can mean to be A Good Person.
Without revealing too much, A Good Person is a heartwarming film that delves into the inherent tragedy of grief but ends with an overwhelming feeling of hope.
3.5/5 Stars
This is a really good and interesting movie that I have watched over and over again