Good

As part of our press coverage of the Austin Film Festival (AFF) we were able to see several films including the first film co-written and directed by Justin Etheredge. It's interesting to see that independent American cinema continues to find real inspiration in telling simple stories but giving actors interesting roles and especially as Good shows so well being able to give supporting actors more important roles allowing them to discover new facets of their composition.

In the case of the film Good we discover the character of Payton who is given the task of becoming the janitor of Gregory Devereaux (Keith David), a rich man with only a few months to live. As they become closer and closer, Payton's past leads him to choose between his dreams and a pregnancy that could jeopardize his marriage. The first outstanding quality of this film is to feature actor Keith David (Invasion Los Angeles (They live) (1988), Mary at all costs (There's Something About Mary) (1998), The Transporter 2 (The Transporter 2) : (2005), The Nice Guys (2016), Manhattan Lockdown (21 Bridges) (2019)) who finds here a tailor-made role allowing him to show that he is not only an eternal supporting actor and that he has the necessary qualities to play outstanding characters.

In the same way the director, screenwriter Justin Etheredge shares with actor Keith David one of the two main roles. His first film thus allows him to show that he is not only a director to watch but also an outstanding actor capable of moving us as well as making us laugh. Throughout his first film, Justin Etheredge takes care of both the directing and the direction of his actors. Although Good remains an independent film and this is felt through a certain economy of means, this does not spoil the pleasure taken in following this universal story showing that we are often confronted in our lives with difficult choices.

Good
Directed by Justin Etheredge
Produced by Justin Etheredge, Stephen Heleker
Written by Justin Etheredge, Nathan Allen
Starring Keith David, Justin Etheredge, Nefetari Spencer, Kali Racquel, Christen Sharice, Sarah Scott Davis
Cinematography: Justin Richards
Edited by Gary Friedman
Running time: 80 minutes

Seen on October 25th 2020 (online access Austin Film Festival)

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