‘Good Grief’ review: Daniel Levy’s heartfelt and stylish film debut, opposite Ruth Negga and Himesh Patel, is all about love, loss and art

Given his hilarious, multiple Emmy-winning work on Schitt’s Creek, This distinctly different feature debut from writer/director/producer and star Daniel Levy is a revelation – and a welcome one.

The appropriate title my dear explores exactly what that name means, as Levy uses his own experience as impetus to paint a fuller picture of love, loss and grief in all their complexity. But at its core, this impressive, if sometimes tonally risky, story is also about the complications (and meaning) of friendship in a scenario that revolves around a trio of BFFs who take a life-changing trip to Paris and get more than that. they them for negotiation.

The opening sets the scene as we meet Marc (Levy) at a Christmas party in the spacious and impressive London apartment (in the Notting Hill area, as a kind of homage to the writer Richard Curtis, one of Levy’s film inspirations) where Be flamboyant and successful filmmaker husband Oliver (Luke Evans) soaks up all the energy.

Marc is an artist (his poignant paintings in the film’s finale are by Kris Knight) but clearly lives in the shadow of his more famous partner. But it seems to be a life they both love.

In the crowd are Marc’s close friends, the vivacious and vivacious Sophie (Ruth Negga) and Thomas (Himesh Patel), the latter of whom was once a romantic interest for Marc before their separation and his subsequent relationship and marriage to Oliver. But tragedy looms when Oliver leaves the party to take a taxi to the airport, but is killed in a head-on collision before he can even get off the road.

The grieving process begins with Oliver’s emotional funeral but doesn’t end, and a year later and during another holiday season, it all comes to a head when friends Sophie and Thomas convince Marc that it’s time to move on, on ‘ a way Behavior. Do means to do it Eventually Read the card Oliver left for him when he left that fateful night.

There’s a lot more to it than he ever expected and saying that gives him that Complications is an understatement. It only picks up when Marc and Oliver’s lawyer Imelda (Celia Imrie – wonderful) reveals that Oliver had a spacious apartment in Paris, the existence of which he never shared with his husband. “I don’t think now is the time to talk about your will,” she said flatly.

Partly accompanied by his two best friends his Believing that things are finally coming back to life for Marc, the trio travels to Paris for a few fun-filled days. But unbeknownst to them, Marc is privately on a mission to find the answer to all the secrets Oliver left behind. , with whom he appears to have had an open marriage, a plot point was inserted into Levy’s script and oddly left short.

While this presents plenty of melodramatic opportunities for Levy, he thankfully refrains from forcing the soapy elements. In fact, this is as good an opportunity as any to focus on three characters whose own problems come to a boil in different ways, revealing not only the truths for each of them, but also their long-standing connection to each other. The balancing act in a film largely about the process and price of grief is a daunting challenge for the debut filmmaker better known for his comedic chops. But it’s just promising enough to make us look forward to where he goes next. The man is a quadruple threat and a sure talent

Levy’s ability to direct actors and give them exciting roles is immediately evident in the selection of both Negga, who is sensational as the free-spirited and funny Sophie, and Patel, who is entirely believable through the individual and unexpected actions that drive her friends in a frenzy.

It’s also a credit to Levy who allows these two exceptional actors to steal every scene they’re in. Although Levy’s Marc is the focus, he is somewhat burdened by first going through so much grief and then the complex reaction to the dark situation that led to Oliver’s death.

There are others in the mix as well, including Arnaud Valois as Theo, a brief attraction to Marc in Paris that turns into a chance to escape the influence Oliver still holds over him, and Medhi Baki as Luca, a mysterious man with a key to his life. Answer some unanswered questions.

Emma Corrin, as Kaitlyn Dever, appears briefly as a performance artist. But none of them have much to do. Evans hits the right note as Oliver, even if his presence in the story is felt more off-screen after his character’s untimely death.

With Ole Bratt Bireland’s lush cinematography, Paris has never looked as inviting as it does here. The clever production design of the London and Paris apartments is perfectly realized by Alice Normington, as is the striking fashion by costume designer Julian Day. Kudos to Rob Simonsen’s score and music supervisor Seisoen Kent’s soundtrack, which features some great songs from artists like Bonnie Raitt, Elton John and especially Neil Young’s haunting evergreen “Only Love Can Break Your Heart.”

Producers are Levy, Megan Zehmer, Debra Hayward and Kate Fenske. Executive producers are Stacey Snider and Caroline Levy.

Title: my dear

Distributor: Netflix

Release date: December 29 in select cinemas; January 5 streaming on Netflix

Director/Screenplay: Daniel Levy

Form: Daniel Levy, Ruth Negga, Himesh Patel, Luke Evans, Celia Imrie, Arnaud Valois, Emma Corrin, Kaitlyn Dever, David Bradley, Medhi Baki

Assessment: R

Time: 1 hour and 40 minutes