Good Boy evokes a distinct period in British cinema, reminiscent of a time when exploitation films masquerading as horror were quite popular, featuring titles like Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly and What the Peeper Saw, not to mention several works by Peter Walker. A good point of comparison for Jan Komasa’s captivating first film would be Walker’s House of Whipcord, another darkly humorous take on moral integrity, which narrates the plight of a promiscuous young woman at the mercy of a mad retired judge and his spouse, who run a private correctional facility.
In Komasa’s narrative, Tommy (portrayed by Anson Boon), a male protagonist and a chaotic online influencer known for his violence-inciting TikToks, is the central figure. The film opens with a raucous evening out for Tommy, during which he exclaims, “I’m f*ckin’ buzzin’,” followed by a spree of drinking, drug use, sexual activities, and more intoxication, ultimately culminating in him unconscious on a street, soon to be swept up by an unknown entity.
Tommy’s fate is discovered by Rina (Monika Frajczyk), an undocumented immigrant interviewing for a housekeeping position at a secluded, large country house. Her potential employers, the amiable Chris (Stephen Graham) and his reserved wife Kathryn (Andrea Riseborough), conduct a probing interview, asking about children, distinctive physical marks, and tattoos. On her first day, Rina’s phone is taken away by Chris, who states, “We don’t use phones in the house.” Her surprise turns to shock when she finds Tommy, restrained and tied to a makeshift bed in the basement.
The initial setup suggests a typical torture-themed film, and when Tommy lashes out at his captors, he is brutally subdued, fulfilling the genre’s brutal expectations. Yet, it soon becomes clear that Chris’s intentions are not what they initially seem. While details of his past remain vague, it is evident that he and his wife are not intent on killing Tommy but rather on saving him, albeit through unconventional and secular means.
Initially, Tommy is defiant, threatening Chris outrageously. However, his attitude begins to shift after meeting the overly cheerful Jonathan (Kit Rakusen), Chris and Kathryn’s son, realizing there might be a deeper plan for his rehabilitation, and potentially, an opportunity for escape if he cooperates.
This psychological duel forms the crux of Komasa’s film, which slightly nods to A Clockwork Orange. The longer Tommy remains with the family, the more he starts to engage with the environment, devouring the books Kathryn has selected for him and even exploring cinema, though he is distressed by a film showing one evening. Eventually, he is moved to an upstairs bedroom, still secured by a chain but now able to move somewhat freely between rooms.
The film’s peculiar premise is elevated by its cast, with Boon delivering a particularly convincing performance as the volatile yet naive Tommy. Riseborough adds a spectral presence as Kathryn, the true emotional force behind the family’s odd mission, with Chris being the strategic leader. Fresh off Adolescence, Graham captivates with his portrayal of Chris, echoing a less malevolent Jigsaw from the Saw series; his judgment serves as his tool, and his disappointment is a formidable force, akin to that of a divine or demonic patriarch.
Title: Good Boy
Festival: Toronto (Centrepiece)
Director: Jan Komasa
Screenwriters: Bartek Bartosik, Naqqash Khalid
Cast: Stephen Graham, Andrea Riseborough, Anson Boon, Kit Rakusen, Monika Frajczyk
Sales agent: Hanway
Running time: 1 hr 50 mins
Daniel Hayes is a business journalist with a focus on market trends, startups, and corporate strategies.
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