By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 5 cats
Director: Dagur Kári
Starring: Brian Cox | Isild Le Besco | Paul Dano
Country: denmark, france, germany, iceland, united_states
Year: 2010
Running time: 95
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0808285/
Bruce says: “Who would have guessed that the two stars of the 2001 film L.I.E., one a Scotsman and the other an American teenager, would end up eight years later working together in Iceland? Although Paul Dano (2008 Chlotrudis Award Winner – Best Supporting Actor) – is now a grown man, their roles have not reversed.
“In THE GOOD HEART Dano plays (Lucas), a homeless man who ends up in hospital when he botches a suicide attempt. When we first see the curmudgeonly Jacques (Cox) he is being rolled through the hospital on a gurney. His popularity with hospital staff is revealed when one of the workers says ‘Jacques, not again. Why can’t you just die?’ Lying in adjacent beds Jacques asks Lucas why he is in hospital. ‘A suicide attempt, not successful,’ Lucas replies. Jacques quickly counterattacks, ‘Everyday I fight for my life.’
“Jacques has converted The House of Oysters (the setting is supposedly New York City but the exact location is quite vague) into a dingy bar where the same colorful characters hang out every day and night. He is afraid that he won’t get his heart transplant in time and he wants to leave the bar to someone. After Lucas is released, Jacques rifles through hospital files to find out where Lucas lives. Jacques has plans. He finds Lucas living on the street in a makeshift cardboard hut cuddling his cat. ‘Come with me – I need some help. From the looks of things you could use some help yourself.’ Scrubbed up and made half way presentable Lucas soon finds himself as an apprentice bar proprietor. Jacques’ advise to Lucas borders on the misanthropic. ‘Never be friendly with a customer,’ he warns.
“The relationship between the two men goes swimmingly until one day a young girl breezes into the bar. She is distraught and Lucas eschews the aforementioned advice about customer familiarity. Soon April (Isild Le Besco) is sharing Lucas’ bed. Jacques is a man who ‘Hates compromise more than anything in the world.’ It is little wonder that he does not take well to the ménage à trois. Will his heart give in to this newfound stress?
“THE GOOD HEART has a fairy tale quality that is most fitting. It is hard to take the film seriously yet it is impossible not to become engaged in the story. Not a fan of Isild Le Besco, I do wish that another choice had been made to play the young stewardess who hates to fly. Dano and Cox are both perfect in their roles. Here’s hoping we get to see them work together at least one more time. 5 cats
“(THE GOOD HEART screened at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival.)”