You’re probably here because you either love Dan Levy or you love gentle, affecting dramas that tug at your heartstrings. Good Grief, which is the directorial debut of Dan Levy, our very own ‘Ewww Davidd’ from Schitt’s Creek, marks another step forward for him. Co-starring Ruth Negga, Himesh Patel & Luke Evans, the film is about a middle-aged man who is forced to confront his feelings when his husband dies. Released in a limited capacity in the United States before hitting Netflix, the film is a sincere look at what death does to a person and how some of us deal with it or not deal with it for quite some time.
In the following article, we will take a detailed look at the film, diving into its flaws and narrative turns with a brief discussion of the ending and what it means within and outside the context of the movie. If you haven’t seen the movie yet, this is your spoiler warning.
Good Grief (2024) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
The film opens with a lavish Christmas party that Marc (Dan Levy) and Oliver (Luke Evans) have thrown. Oliver is a famous writer who writes YA stories that have reached the hearts of many people, mostly due to its movie protagonist, Victoria Valentine, being instantly relatable to teenage girls. Marc, on the other hand, had left his life as a painter (mostly after his mother’s death and his new life with his husband Oliver) and now illustrates children’s books.
At the party, we also meet Marc’s close friends, Sophie (Ruth Negga) and Thomas (Himesh Patel). Sophie is introduced as a selfish loudmouth who is often carelessly taking decisions on the go. Her relationship with the dependable Terrence (Jamael Westman) seems to be going well, but we can clearly see that she is only one step away from messing that up. Thomas is Marc’s ex and has been turning away from having a proper relationship ever since. He has closed himself away from the idea of finding a person who is for him and has since been getting into toxic relationships that are hard for him to let go of. However, the friendship between Marc, Sophie, and Thomas feels concrete.
The party continues, but Oliver has to leave mid-way for a book signing event in Paris. Before leaving, he hands Marc a red envelope with a promise to have a discussion over something before bidding goodbye. However, as fate would have it, Oliver’s taxi gets into a head-on collision, killing him only meters away from their house.
What revelation does Marc uncover about Oliver?
Next, we see Marc getting used to the idea of Marc not being by his side. Sophie and Thomas become his support system – eventually pushing him to get out of the house and do things on his own. This goes on for a while, and after one year of Oliver’s passing, Marc tells Sophie and Thomas that he might be ready to open the letter that Oliver had given him last Christmas before his accident. The two of them rile him up for not doing it and ask him to come outside this Christmas by reading the letter first. In private, when Marc opens the letter, he is left with a sense of dismay because it isn’t a letter that tells Oliver’s love for Marc but is a confession about him seeing someone else beyond their marriage. The big discussion he promised was actually about him letting him know about it beforehand via this letter.
After reading it, Marc comes to a sense of his grief slipping away from him and turning into rage. However, who are we to understand the various phases a person who has lost someone goes through? The grief was not just about losing someone he loved anymore but also about an added layer of forgiveness that he needed to find within himself. Confused about what to do, he just goes out to the party Sophie and Thomas had asked him to come to. There, he meets Theo (Arnaud Valois), a handsome Frenchman who shows interest in him. However, Marc’s confusion and inability to process the grief he had been feeling does not allow him to flirt with him. They exchange numbers, but Marc, not being ready for another relationship yet, doesn’t allow him to text Theo.
Later, Marc is called to Imelda’s (Celia Imrie) office, where he learns that Oliver’s publishing house is asking for reimbursement because of the advance they had given him for writing two more books in Victoria Valentine’s series. As the two discuss how to deal with the expenses from now on, it comes up that Oliver had leashed an apartment in Paris that Marc was unaware of until now. It strikes Marc that this place was where Oliver used to meet his new lover, and that realization breaks him. For a few moments, it feels like his mourning for Oliver’s loss for the past year was all a waste since he didn’t really care for him.
Why does Marc decide to go to Paris?
Unable to really process what to do, Marc decides on a whim that he would visit this place in Paris before putting an end to the lease. He decides to offer Sophie and Thomas to come along with him since he does not know what lies ahead of him.
Consequently, Sophie has undergone a breakup and wants to take some time out for herself, so she agrees to come along, especially when she realizes that all the expenses will be done by Marc. Thomas also agrees because, in his own strange way, he feels that after Oliver’s death, there’s a wee bit of hope that Marc would get back with him; after all, they had dated for more than a decade. So, the two of them decide that they will accompany him, fully unaware of the fact that Oliver was seeing someone else and the apartment that they would be living in has not been seen by Marc too.
When they reach Paris, the first signs of Oliver’s other lover are seen when he finds a Christmas gift for his boyfriend in the closet. When he goes to the store to return the gift, we can clearly see that all this new info and the fact that he is not letting his friends know about it is becoming a little heavy on him. However, it is clear that it’s not just Marc who is struggling. Sophie, who just wants to have a good time now that she is in Paris fails to discuss her breakup with her closest people. Running away has always been her thing, but does that mean it will be easy for her?
Anyway, the three of them decide to go out when Sophie finds some guy on a dating app. Midway through the drinking session, Marc decides to text Theo and abandon his friend. Hanging out with Theo helps Marc clear some of the air that he has been feeling is getting too heavy. He tells Theo about how he had not processed his grief after his mother’s death and how he is probably going to do the same thing with Oliver. Theo listens to all of his things very closely, and we also get to know that Marc and Oliver were in an open marriage, making his foray into a new relationship fair. However, we also learn that Marc was never into the idea of open marriage and only agreed because he did not want to lose Oliver.
On learning that Marc left painting after his mother’s death, Theo decides to take him to the Claude Mont Museum, urging him to get back to painting again. The two of them share a kiss.
What happens after Marc, Sophie, and Thomas confront each other?
The next morning is when things go south. Marc wakes up to a very angry Thomas. He tells Marc that his abandoning them midway was not a good idea because Sophie was found sleeping at a bus station after he got too drunk and her date left her. Thomas, who had to deal with all of the mess alone, was furious because it was Marc who asked them to come there, and he himself was absent.
Adding more to the mess, Oliver’s young flame Luca (Mehdi Baki) also arrives at the flat, leading Marc to blurt out the truth in front of his friends. A really bleak atmosphere is created where a lot of confessions are made. Sophie tells her friends that Terrence broke up with her because she never gave him any kind of assurance for a relationship, in spite of proposing marriage. Later, at the Ferris wheel, we also learn that Thomas has been unable to move on from Marc after they broke up a year ago and still has feelings for him, in spite of knowing that Marc doesn’t feel that way. All their insecurities come out, and the three friends finally come to the conclusion that they need to face their challenges head-on instead of just running away from things.
Good Grief (2024) Movie Ending Explained:
Is Marc able to get over his loss?
A few days after Sophie and Thomas left Paris, Marc also returned to London. He decides to sell the apartment that he and Oliver bought together and starts painting again. He now knows that running away from his grief is not an option and that he will never get over his loss. So, realizing that grief is a forever process, he starts to process it through his art.
The ending of Good Grief takes place at an art gallery where Marc is showcasing his new art. All his pieces are really intimate and only feature the people who are truly close to him. It feels like Marc has finally forgiven Oliver for keeping a secret from him because the love he had for him was stronger than anything else he shared with him.
Sophie and Thomas visit the gallery and are happy to see his work, which includes two pieces that are dedicated to them. Sophie has gotten back with Terrence, and it feels like she finally has her shit together. Thomas has also realized that he can’t be fixated on Marc forever, and thus, he introduces the group to his new boyfriend.
In conclusion, Good Grief tells us that we can’t just move on from loss, like turning away from one app after getting bored. Grief is a process that takes time, and instead of running away from it, we need to be talking about and living through it because loss and love both go hand in hand and one is incomplete without the other.
Good Grief (2024) Movie Review:
Talking about the film itself, for a debut feature, Good Grief is deliciously funny and features some very crisp dialogues. Dan Levy presents characters dealing with challenges in life, unsure of how to cope, yet providing a cathartic sense of control in cleaning up others’ messes.
The film emphasizes the futility of distracting oneself from fleeting experiences, highlighting the importance of accepting one’s reality, confronting sad feelings, and taking control of life. The way Levy has managed to conjure these characters who are messed up in life but not totally wrong in what they are doing with it forms the strong center of this gentle film.
Ruth Negga impressively portrays a character striving to be taken seriously, wanting to be the ‘main character’ of her life but facing relatable fears of not conforming to societal perceptions of being a ‘safe woman.’ Simultaneously, Himesh Patel excels as a best friend seeking recognition but facing the timing challenges life often presents.
Dan Levy, who plays Marc, moves away from his appearance in Schitt’s Creek by taking a gentle and honest approach to a complex character. His writing work around this character, in particular, is commendable. That said, the film, unfortunately, veers off course in the third arc, where some of the dialogues and confrontations don’t feel organic. Some of them feel like sermons given to people who need to understand what they are feeling. Nonetheless, Good Grief is still a pretty affecting drama about love and loss and how running away from anything is never an option.
