Muted to a fault, Good Grief gets a lot of points for offering a mature look at the struggle to move on from a heartbreaking tragedy. However, it feels like that same level of restraint hinders the film almost as much as it helps, preventing it from truly being the emotionally resonant story that's in here somewhere.
Dan Levy gives a good lead performance that definitely doesn't feel showy or excessively vain which is nice. Similar to everything else though, it does feel like he's holding back a little too much. On the other hand, Ruth Negga and Himesh Patel are really good at maintaining that restraint whilst still having grander moments where they can let everything out.
The greatest strengths of Dan Levy's direction lies in the strong opening and how it can further emphasise his character's grief through the slow pace and clinical visual style. It doesn't really look like a film but regardless of that it can still look gorgeous, helped by being set exclusively in Paris and London.
Dan Levy gives a good lead performance that definitely doesn't feel showy or excessively vain which is nice. Similar to everything else though, it does feel like he's holding back a little too much. On the other hand, Ruth Negga and Himesh Patel are really good at maintaining that restraint whilst still having grander moments where they can let everything out.
The greatest strengths of Dan Levy's direction lies in the strong opening and how it can further emphasise his character's grief through the slow pace and clinical visual style. It doesn't really look like a film but regardless of that it can still look gorgeous, helped by being set exclusively in Paris and London.