India Donaldson
7 connections found
Filmography
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Connections, in both directions
It's akin to Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding in that regard, though it lives at the far opposite end of the cinematic spectrum, unfolding quietly and unassumingly, and sans overt confrontation, until things finally boil over in ways that can't help but strain even the most pleasant relationships.
It often reminded me of Julia Loktev's little-seen but seldom-forgotten “The Loneliest Planet” in that sense.
The film is a lot like the works of Kelly Reichardt—particularly her breakout feature Old Joy—in how characters guard their feelings and show tremors under the gentle, easygoing façade of the action.
Good One is like a little sister to Kelly Reichardt’s Old Joy, another fantastic film about the dynamics of two men’s friendship.
India Donaldson's minimalist, slow-burn feature debut reveals a sensibility that inevitably invites comparisons with the work of Kelly Reichardt, especially Old Joy.
Much of Good One plays like a cross between Kelly Reichardt and Noah Baumbach – with further crisscrossing between multiple modes of each filmmaker. There’s the modest, verdant-scenery male bonding of Reichardt’s Old Joy, plus the seething, stranded dynamic of Michelle Williams’ character in Meek’s Cutoff; similarly, the banter of a Baumbach comedy – the dialogue between Chris and Matt is often very funny – intersects with a lower-key version of Marriage Story tensions.
It’s been nearly two decades since Kelly Reichardt’s Old Joy showed how the wilderness can be an open canvas to explore the breaking points of male friendship and reckoning with a midlife crisis. While those emotional quandaries are evergreen, it’s appropriate timing to bring an entirely new element to this conceit.
Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020)
Directed by Eliza Hittman
influenced Good One (2024)
Characters
Her probing eyes and wry smile evoke a young Winona Ryder, while hiding swells of internal pain and betrayal like Sidney Flanigan in Never Rarely Sometimes Always. Every gesture, every line carries immense psychological weight behind it, selling the journey of a girl realizing that there’s little safety or reward for just going with the flow. Few actors command so much interest while outwardly doing so little, and that’s a testament to Collias’ interiority and Donaldson’s clear command of actors.
There's the modest, verdant-scenery male bonding of Reichardt's Old Joy, plus the seething, stranded dynamic of Michelle Williams' character in Meek's Cutoff; similarly, the banter of a Baumbach comedy – the dialogue between Chris and Matt is often very funny – intersects with a lower-key version of Marriage Story tensions.
In the same way that Charlotte Wells masterfully revealed how a father can be someone who is broken and hurting in Aftersun, Donaldson shows how they can also be the ones causing the immense hurt.
Much of Good One plays like a cross between Kelly Reichardt and Noah Baumbach – with further crisscrossing between multiple modes of each filmmaker. There’s the modest, verdant-scenery male bonding of Reichardt’s Old Joy, plus the seething, stranded dynamic of Michelle Williams’ character in Meek’s Cutoff; similarly, the banter of a Baumbach comedy – the dialogue between Chris and Matt is often very funny – intersects with a lower-key version of Marriage Story tensions.