WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
What’s within that drives us through life. We are so caught up in existing that it seems rare we actually stop and assess who we truly are. Forming our mentality through the varying factors we encounter, or more so by the choices we make, it becomes apparent however when we need to realize ourselves. How much more challenging might this be when the path we’ve chosen is leading us down a road of self-destruction rather than fulfillment? Can we then pause, reflect, and most importantly–change?
For one man (Chris Clynes), it is such a time to ponder the direction of his journey. Bluntly analyzing the state of being he is currently in, focusing on the “where, why, and how” his decisions have taken him to this point, the desperation to find solace becomes clear. Yet, within his contemplations also resides the realities of the world around him, perhaps even how he feels its supposed “solutions” have not brought about the promises they’ve supposedly offered. Is it all something he can truly rebound from? Or does it still threaten to swallow him up forever?
Next, my Mind:
Some might very much consider the concept, especially in the context of a short film format, of a sole, monologue-based track to be risky. Yet, from the start for this critic, this becomes yet another ongoing and assuredly bold direction to pursue that substantiates the heartbeat of indie cinema and those creating it. With this in mind, we therefore arrive at the 14-minute project from writer/director Chris Clynes, who has chosen the aforementioned route with his newest (plus first-ever SOLO) effort. Doing so with a no-holds-barred intent that not only adeptly showcases HOW one can successfully make this all work effectively, but additionally contain a deeply relevant, blunt yet affecting societal statement meant to elicit further contemplation to boot, it’s a victory for independent film that needs to be heeded.
A genuine “slice-of-(questioning)-life” style narrative unfolding before the viewer’s eyes, the story following one man’s ode to his chaotic state of being and ongoing struggles to ascertain the meaning of it all and his own existence’s path–past, present, and future–gets laid out with absolute purpose and ideal pacing so as to attain the ability to keep one’s attention via ONE “talking head”. Remember, while that term often seems to be utilized under a negative connotation usually, that is NOT the case here. The camera fully embraces our lone protagonist with precisely the fashion of close-up visualization required to initiate the more “intimate” atmosphere the narrative understandably elicits. Just this aspect alone pulls you in, making you WANT to know more about this stranger’s circumstances, what caused them, what keeps forming them, and his desire to actually CHANGE because of them, even in spite of a currently embittered world view.
With this as the foundational undercurrent of the tale, the thematic adventures this repeat offender-laden character embarks on are quite numerous, touching on everything from how easy it is to get INTO trouble, do time again once “used” to it, how betterment was to be the endgame yet hasn’t remotely occurred as was promised, his idea of self worth based on the station in life he heralds from and the unreachable “rich life” he’ll never attain, attempts to stay clean that failed, how his only family has paid the price for his choices, gaining a “what’s the point?” attitude and its influence on his outlook, recollecting past goals and dreams, being cast aside even when really trying to find legit opportunities, resentments, shame over “what if people knew FULLY what I’d done”, seeing others happy IN SPITE of their struggles, and making a determined commitment to transform for the good all get explored through the dialogue present, again with excellent impact.
Also, there’s another below-the-surface hint at self-harm, which lends a final degree of urgency to this character’s journey of woe and now introspection, even as it leads to the finale that has both hope-filled cathartic weight paired with a conjecture-centric magnitude of heartbreaking sadness to it which befits what we’ve seen and certainly cements the film’s messages firmly in your mind. The mental health implications reside here in its wake, and that is a subject SO overtly necessary to have in the forefront of our heads in these stormy times we’re in, with the consequent need to address both that AND the truths shown during the film’s opening credits. IF we keep just pushing away all the things that represent “oh, I don’t want to talk about THAT again”, we’re setting ourselves up for not only finding NO resolution or solutions to them, but directly or indirectly casting aside fellow human beings who NEED HELP that’s tangible and produces results.
THIS cannot be the way it all keeps going, and so it’s why I applaud Clynes for striking out on his own in this manner to just put it all out there for us to absorb and consider, which in this case might NOT necessarily have come across so strongly if it HADN’T been communicated in this calculatedly unique and uncomplicated design the actor chose for his film. Speaking of Clynes, it is another chance to believe that it would be a daunting task to carry an entire film (even at just 14 minutes) on one’s shoulders, much less via this particular format and it being his first (literal!) solo effort. What I utterly love to be able to say is that no only does Clynes pull it off, but does so with a candid believability and grounded relatability that creates a character you both do and don’t empathize with, depending on which part of the narrative is being referred to.
Playing a man whose no stranger to criminality and the associated incarceration that accompanies it, his sense of who he is has now come to forefront, looking directly at the camera and addressing the audience with raw, unfiltered realities of where he now finds himself, how he has or hasn’t coped with it all, and trying to discover how he can BE better while still not wholeheartedly having any faith in society’s means to do so FOR him that hasn’t at all worked out in his favor. Whether some or even much of this is justified in the man’s mind but was mostly having spurred on by poor decisions that have lead him into a bad place he seemingly cannot find release from being weighted and beaten down by, can there still be that opportunity for redemption he seeks? This and everything above is on display, and Clynes navigates the character through it all with intensity, impassioned but understated volatility, and pure credibility.
So, in total, “Good Guy” rises beyond its cornerstone explorations of Britain’s justice system (see the onscreen statistical information that leads us into the story) and conveys a portrait of a man on the edge, a soul in turmoil, and ultimately a heart in need of reconciliation, newfound belief, and genuine validity in the prospect that, when it comes down to it, this man at his core is very much a good guy–or desires to be. May we admit and rise above our mistakes, LEARN from them, take legit steps to transform, hope for better conditions in “the system”, and be liberated from the manner in which this tumultuous world seems constantly attempting to bring us down rather than build us up.
STAR RATING (OUT OF 5):
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
