Good Time — Plot Discussion

This week’s discussion movie is Good Time, a crime/thriller directed by Josh and Benny Safdie, and released in 2017.

The movie stars well-known actors such as Robert Pattinson and Jennifer Jason Leigh, as well as rising and even first time actors such as Benny Safdie, one of the directors, Taliah Webster, and Buddy Duress.

It is said to be one of the best indie movies of all time and received an impressive 6 minute standing ovation at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival.

Therefore, it is a delight to have this movie as the Indie Film Club’s very first discussion topic.

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Today, we will start with discussing the storyline / plot of the movie. I am counting on you here, dear reader, to let me know in the comments, what you thought about the plot and how you interpret some of the characters’ actions and decisions.

On Thursday, we will then take a look at the characters and on Saturday, we will take a look behind the scenes of the movie and talk about some of the director’s choices and visions for the movie.

Before we start, if you haven’t seen the movie yet, you should do so first, as this blog will contain spoilers.

Alrighty, let’s kick off this discussion!

First of all, I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. The characters seemed so well thought out and the movie’s look and feel is very beautiful.

However, I do have to say that the storyline is pretty crazy. From robbing a bank, to being on the run, to saving his brother, to having saved the wrong guy, to trying to find money stashed from someone else’s robbery, to trying to sell acid instead, to finally being arrested.

There is a lot we could discuss, but I want to touch upon some of the main moments that I liked or thought were kind of random. Please let me know which ones you liked or disliked, and if you agree or disagree with my point of view.

Introduction

The movie starts right into the action, there is no introduction, no aesthetic scenery shots, it jumps straight into Nickolas “Nick” Nikas, played by Benny Safdie, at his consultation. I believe this is a great representation of the movie and its characters, as it goes straight to the point, avoiding long useless chit chat.

Not long after, his brother Constantine “Connie” Nikas, portrayed by Robert Pattinson, bursts into the room and takes his brother with him, regardless of the counsellor’s strong pushback.

Brotherly Love?

On their way out, we get to experience a very affectionate moment between the two brothers, as Connie hugs and kisses Nick, telling him that the loves him. This scene shows how much Connie seems to love his brother, however, is it good love or bad love?

At this point, one might think that Connie only has the best intention for his brother, but this belief is questioned as the first thing they do next, is rob a bank. However, the fact that they do it in a silent manner, trying to avoid any sort of physical altercation, indicates their general resistance to physical violence, even though we know that both Connie and Nick have had a violent incidences in the past.

The bank scene also nicely outlines the relationship between the brothers, with Connie being the leader and forcing Nick to do things, even though he doesn’t feel comfortable with it.

The Dream

The reason for robbing the bank is of course money, but it is needed to fullfil their dream of living in a cabin in the woods.

How would you, dear reader, interpret this dream? Do you really see it as their ideal form of living, or is it a way of hiding, and how well would these two function if it was only them and no one else?

In my opinion, they hope this place to be a place where they do not need to run and can do whatever they want. I especially love how this is reflected during the credits scene at the end of the movie, as the song ends with “Someday, I swear, we’re gonna go to a place where we can do everything we want to…and we can pet the crocodiles…LOVE”.

What I love about this statement is the crocodile part, which, as beautiful as it sounds, it is actually something very dangerous. And it just shows that they have a very different idea of beautiful. Beautiful for them doesn’t mean safe, but still have this danger aspect. I can imagine that, in a way, they may want to re-experience their childhood. They want to experience this part of their lives in a happy manner, where they can do whatever they want and, most importantly, live in a place filled with love rather than the hate they seem to have experienced until this point.

On the Run

When Connie and Nick are walking through the street and the police car suddenly stops by them, I do wonder why exactly the police stopped. Okay, they may have been acting a bit weird, but just because they were walking with their heads down and with their hoodies on, does it really make them that suspicious? Of course, the fact that Nick then starting running during their talk didn’t help at all.
The same goes when Nick got arrested, what are the charges? During their robbery they were wearing masks so I don’t think the police knew who was underneath that mask. Is acting suspicious enough to, not only arrest him, but bring him to court?

Prison

Even though the prison scene is not the most pleasurable to watch, I do believe that is outlines a very important topic. Many prisons are struggling with inmate violence as their cells are way to full. Moreover, it showcase how difficult it is for guards to interfere, as they stay safe outside the bars.

Crystal and her Grandmother’s House

I like having Crystal as a character to bring some freshness into the story. It is interesting to see that, while she does seem a bit sceptical of Connie, she takes what he does with a certain casualness and maybe even naivety. But at the same time, she is only 16 years old - I guess we all were rather naive at that age. Moreover, her past relationship with her ex-boyfriend being a drug dealer, and the way she had to grow up, might also be why she is more relaxed towards Connie and his odd behaviour.

One of the most random scenes, in my opinion, was the hair dye scene. I understand that he wanted to look different, in order not to get recognized, but how weird is it to be at some stranger’s house and to just use a hair dye pack you found in their bathroom. Especially since he then pretended like it was the most normal thing in the world.

Furthermore, we do need to talk about this make-out scene. While we all certainly get why Connie chose this option to distract Crystal, the way it was shot just seems rather cringey. I don’t know if it is because of the age difference at that point, but it just seemed kind of off, awkward and like it just did not work.

The Wrong Guy

I like to think that the mishap of Connie saving their wrong guy, is a hint of karma which is heading Connie’s way. It also showcases that Connie’s decision, in the spear of the moment, are often wrong and irrational. He jumped to conclusion thinking the patient being guarded by the police officer had to be his brother, however, he did not do anything to check if it actually was Nick.

Ray

Ray’s storyline is very interesting, as it touches upon recidivism, as he was released less than 24h before he was arrested again. Like many others, his problem comes from drinking and drugs, being the reasons why he is back in custody. Even though Connie and him don’t like each other very much, I do see some similar storylines here, as both recently got out of prison with nowhere to go.
What I thought to be interesting though, is that at first, Ray says that he doesn’t remember anything from the previous night, but then continues to give a detailed description of the night’s events.

Connie and the Women

Connie is a con artist, he uses the love others have for him to manipulate them. He will appeal to them until he gets what he wants, however, if they cannot help him, he will throw them away. This was seen with both Crystal and also Corey. He promised Corey that they would go on a trip, but he then simply talked her into giving him the 10k needed to bail out Nick. While the payment was happening, he showed great affection towards Corey, hugging and kissing her, but once her card got declined, his entire attitude changed, pushing her aside.
The same happened with Crystal, not only kissing her but telling her that he likes her and that he feels like she is connected to his purpose. All of this is done while she is helping them and letting them use her grandmother’s car. When Crystal is being arrested at Adventureland, you can see Connie’s worried expression, however, in order to keep his cover, he does not interfere much. He does however tell the officer that it was not a woman and that she did not commit the crime.

The Final Moments

This finale sale again showcased Connie’s only purpose, which was to get money. After not having found the stashed money, he focuses onto the acid and wanting to sell this back to its owner. I really liked the final collision between him and Ray, especially as this is the moment you realise that Connie actually thinks very highly of himself and does not see anything wrong with his actions. It also shows a more vulnerable and kind side to Ray, as he tries to talk to Connie.

As much as we rooted for Connie to get his brother back, his arrest at the end is the right choice. Only the arrest is what could wake him up and make him realise all the things he did within the last 24h.
I don’t believe that Ray necessarily had to die, but once he started climbing out of the window, it was clear that would slip and fall.

When it comes to Nick’s ending, I liked seeing how he, even though he was resistant at first, he started to engage in the exercise. It felt like he suddenly started to listen and to actually hear and process what others were saying. And even though Nick stated that he does not like living with his grandmother, it does seem to be the reasonable choice, right?

The Pace

The entire movie is very fast pace, giving little time to breath. The directors said that they wanted it to represent the speed at which Connie’s brain functions. I believe this enhances the viewers understanding of Connie’s judgement, as he has to think on his feet, with little time to think about the moral implications of his decisions. It shows that, sometimes there is simply not enough time to debate and make the right decisions. Additionally, something I really liked, was that once Connie was arrested, you could tell how his expression changed and just turned into this disbelief and this blank stare. It seemed that only then, did he realise what happened and what the consequences will be. Accordingly, the movie slows down significantly, again showing how is brain is suddenly stopping and having these realisations.

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To be honest, writing this post was very difficult, as the storyline is so complex, that I struggled to really break it down. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed reading it. I promise, the character discussion will be better…I too am still learning how to write blog posts, haha.

Now that you know how I experienced the story, I am curious to hear what you guys’ take on the story is!

Share you thought in the comments below or on our Instagram page @indie.film.club

And don’t forget to come back on Thursday for the character discussion.

I wish you all a great day and see you soon!