Film
Good One (15)
Dir. India Donaldson, US, 2025, 90 mins. Cast. Lily Collias, James Le Gros, Danny McCarthy.
The debut feature from American indie filmmaker Donaldson has echoes of Kelly Reichardt and Céline Sciamma but also demonstrates an authentic voice of its own. 17-year-old Sam is joining her dad and his buddy on a camping trip. Donaldson shows a remarkable facility for cutting deep into long-standing dynamics in just a few terse words, and when an awkward campfire encounter between Sam and Matt ruptures the trip, it casts the trio’s relationships in a new, ugly light.
What marks Good One as one of the best debuts for many years is the detail and quality of delivery from its tiny cast. But it is Lily Colias’ intelligent, cliché-resistant take on Sam that marks her out as one to watch. Tender and sure-footed Good One is a film that speaks quietly but with great force.
The screenings on Fri 16, Sat 17 and Tue 20 will be preceded by the short film Jay's Grave.
Jay’s Grave (15 mins)
Directed by the Award Winning director Justin Carter, this fifteen minute short film is based on a folklore tale from Dartmoor. We follow the true and known tale of Kitty Jay (played by Sophia Oram), a young, gentle and naive maid who falls in love with her master's son (played by Jed Cox). When she is soon abandoned with a shameful secret, Kitty is left to make a heart wrenching decision which would affect the moors forever.
The debut feature from American indie filmmaker Donaldson has echoes of Kelly Reichardt and Céline Sciamma but also demonstrates an authentic voice of its own. 17-year-old Sam is joining her dad and his buddy on a camping trip. Donaldson shows a remarkable facility for cutting deep into long-standing dynamics in just a few terse words, and when an awkward campfire encounter between Sam and Matt ruptures the trip, it casts the trio’s relationships in a new, ugly light.
What marks Good One as one of the best debuts for many years is the detail and quality of delivery from its tiny cast. But it is Lily Colias’ intelligent, cliché-resistant take on Sam that marks her out as one to watch. Tender and sure-footed Good One is a film that speaks quietly but with great force.
The screenings on Fri 16, Sat 17 and Tue 20 will be preceded by the short film Jay's Grave.
Jay’s Grave (15 mins)
Directed by the Award Winning director Justin Carter, this fifteen minute short film is based on a folklore tale from Dartmoor. We follow the true and known tale of Kitty Jay (played by Sophia Oram), a young, gentle and naive maid who falls in love with her master's son (played by Jed Cox). When she is soon abandoned with a shameful secret, Kitty is left to make a heart wrenching decision which would affect the moors forever.
