After the tribute to Robert Pattinson on Saturday evening, September 2, the new feature film of which he is the headliner was presented. Directed by Joshua and Ben Safdie, Good time is an extraordinary and impactful acid trip. Connie and her mentally handicapped brother commit a bank robbery. When the latter is incarcerated and sent to the hospital, Connie decides to use all her means to make him escape. Carried by an unrecognizable Robert Pattinson and a disconcerting staging, Good Time deserves to be discovered for its impactful style.
Actors at the centre of everything
One obviously thinks of Robert Pattinson, who is the keystone of the whole story. Always ready to give his all in his roles, the actor is no exception to the rule and offers us in Good Time an exemplary performance, to be placed next to that of Cosmopolis (to name only this film). The other actors do not demerit next to him, since we have the right to a Ben Safdie particularly good in mentally handicapped. The co-director of the film has indeed put himself forward as an actor to give the answer to Robert Pattinson, which he does without false note.
Jennifer Jason Leight (The Dirty Eight) is also convincing as a woman totally charmed by the dark Connie, despite the fact that he laughs madly at her. Finally, Buddy Duress offers a crazy performance, the opposite of those of Robert Pattinson, which makes him an ideal companion whose acting complements that of his partner.
An impactful and unstructured staging
The staging of Good Time is unlike anything we're used to seeing. Colors fuse everywhere as during an acid trip, music is omnipresent and cuts are particularly choppy. However, all this gives birth to a fresco as fascinating as it is disturbing. Indeed, this plunge into the middle of the night with these failed criminals borders on unease, as we know that their actions may turn against them at any moment.
The work on the editing is particularly interesting, insofar as it is deliberately crude. This deliberately abrupt cutting perfectly transcribes the omnipresent madness and tension, as well as the feeling of living the trip at the same time as the characters. It is therefore a total immersion of the spectator that takes place, which is perfect to invest in a film.
A slight rhythm problem
If the staging deserves to be applauded, it is nevertheless necessary to make some reflections on the rhythm of narration. The latter is not mastered from start to finish, which is a shame. The first part is close to perfection, as it transpires mastery both in staging and writing. The second part loses us in the meanders of a subplot almost forgetting the main plot. Indeed, from the moment Connie decides to find the famous bottle of acid, the film loses rhythm, although it retains all its atmosphere so fascinating. We almost forget the brother who must be delivered, as this parallel scenario takes over. Added to this is the fact that this subplot is resolved very abruptly, concluding the film a little too quickly. If this problem of film does not taint the direction or the pleasure that one feels in front of the feature film, it nevertheless prevents the latter from being a pure masterpiece in the tradition of Drive, a level to which it could have risen.
Despite some problems of rhythms detectable in the last part of the film, Good Time remains a little gem to discover as soon as it is released in theaters. Nervous, original and well interpreted, it confirms once and for all the talent of Robert Pattinson and makes us want to follow the Safdie brothers closely.
