WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
In a quest for inner wellness, it becomes a journey of sojourns or permanence. The turbulent circumstances we find that are of our own making can manifest in such a magnitude as to either drag us down a seemingly endless path of hopelessness or otherwise lead us towards the liberation we so desperately need. When the latter road is offered, however, do we end up making the right decision, or remain trapped within the scope of transgressions past and present? Nico (Elijah Noble El) has an issue–sex addiction. It has cast a pall over his existence for what appears to be many, many years, slowly yet persistently causing him to withdraw and see only negative space in front of him. It soon becomes apparent, though, that while in his third session with therapist Dr. Frederick (Rodriguez Jennings), Nico may possibly find the escape his weary body, heart, mind, and spirit require, made even more real through one special woman named Bonnie (Callie Bussell) he’s actually connected with.
Next, my Mind:
Primary thematic explorations encompassing soul-crushing isolation, deeply rooted fixation/dependency, harboring thoughts of suicide, and laying bare thinly veiled turmoil within are what form the deeply impactful foundational core of this 15-minute indie short film effort from writer/director/producer/cinematographer/editor/actor Elijah Noble El and producer Rodriguez Jennings, offering a potently compelling illustration of just how damaging addiction in any incarnation can be, leading to total despondency or ushering in the desperately needed roads to absolute liberation and newfound joy, independence, and renewal of life. It is efforts like this that, while in themselves are portrayed through a fictionally based format, nevertheless strike with fully tangible relevance and necessary forcefulness so as to remind us that what’s presented is real-life struggle that far too many people endure, hence why heeding their need for comfort, listening ears, and heartfelt guidance to see freedom from these destructive compulsions is paramount.
The narrative delivered here that highlights the conflicted mind and opinions of a sex addict making an attempt to discover absolution and redemption in the midst of disbelief and disheartened, frustrated attitudes, delves with convincingly strident yet likewise (and ultimately) encouraging pace and indelible intent into the world of one man’s war against the sea of shame, self-hate, anger, loneliness, and pain that the perceived “monster” he’s been prisoner to has wrought. It shines a revealing light onto our habit as human beings to retreat into coping mechanisms (such as drinking) while seeking to find a sense of reason to face what’s killing us or even just to actually FEEL something besides the numbness of our circumstances and how our addiction supposedly “helps” us when all it is accomplishing is further separation from reality and those around us who truly desire to offer a way out.
What this critic feels drives all this home with such authoritative and dynamically realistic certainty is the sheer fact that conditions as portrayed throughout the film bring to the forefront what catalysts can finally cause us to accept, acknowledge, and ideally name the thing that’s ravaging us (again, here, it is sex addiction) in order to entertain the notion that emancipation from it IS possible, that there’s a path to truth, admission, positivity, and healthy growth to overcome it and move forward. Facets associated with this are deftly executed through the combination of voiceover work, the random yet totally purposeful imagery utilized as the film progresses, and a wonderfully atmospheric selection of music that emphasizes all the right emotional quotients being conveyed. This total package therefore is able to lead to a finale that, for this critic anyway, provides the realizations of accepting and striving towards trust, real intimacy, actual LOVE, and the need to be open to the healing serenity new beginnings can establish.
The seriously multi-hat wearing Noble El assuredly caps off his myriad of behind-the-scenes production forays and springs to equally adept and vibrantly passionate yet also beautifully understated life through his portrayal of Nico, a man suffering under the weight of what is very much a self-made hell of sex addiction, now being coaxed into confronting it in a highly challenging and not-so-comfortable way thanks to the therapist he’s currently visiting for the third time. Reflecting both an openness yet also a resistance to the probing questions being thrown at him, Nico encounters his own stubbornness, defensiveness, and agitation in trying to precisely comprehend the potential escape he’s needing from his addiction, but listening and watching as we see his walls coming down and that release approaching is powerfully represented through both Noble El’s uncomplicated but perfectly impassioned voiceover work and his physical acting via body language and expressiveness in all the scenes he’s in. It’s a fantastic performance throughout.
The primary supporting roles arrive first from Jennings as Nico’s therapist Dr. Frederick, who as any reputationally sound professional listener would do, takes in Nico’s every word, lament, frustration, and cry for help and uses it to offer the genuinely compassion-filled but quietly, firmly formidable advice and directives he feels his client needs to hear. As Dr. Frederick utilizes this path, it does cause Nico to further open up and address his addiction, while also giving more inroads to allowing Nico to see the means to vindication and a fresh start. It’s an excellent voiceover performance that Jennings delivers and suits the narrative to a “T”. Then there is Bussell who appears as Bonnie, a young woman with whom Nico is actually involved with on a deeper level and who more than demonstrates her willingness and fervent desire to aid him in his journey to recovery so that they can move on in more healthy and constructive ways. We never hear Bussell’s voice, but yet unequivocally discern the level of concern and ardent, earnest yearning to see Nico improve that Bonnie’s character is pursuing through Bussell’s motions and eloquently meaningful facial expressions and actions that tell the story of how much the character cares for Nico.
So, in total, “Goodnight and Goodbye” is a conclusively persuasive venture into the power of addiction, the difficulties of overcoming it, the reality of what it is to receive and embrace that which we need to do so, and just the actuality we need to BE there for one another and have an unwavering support and belief accompanying that. As one last thought, and this is not at ALL to lessen, invalidate, or oversimplify the aforementioned “monster” that is addiction, as we NEED to always be aware of it and find the means to combat it, but this film reminded me of a statement I read that has always resonated with me in light of the kind of personal skirmishes we experience. It said: “EVERYONE has baggage. Therefore, surround yourself with those who love you enough to help you unpack”. I wholeheartedly agree with this, and I feel this short film embodies that concept with a degree of necessity that I hope we can ALL take to heart and put into practice when it comes to engaging against and conquering addiction and helping those affected by it.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
