BFI: LONDON 2025 PART I

This essay includes spoilers for Good Boy —if you still want to watch this movie unfiltered, I’d recommend coming back to this insight after you have watched it. Furthermore, this article mentions substance abuse and domestic abuse; readers should be mindful

10 YEARS IN LONDON AND THE FIRST TIME AT BFI

I’ve spent 10 years living in London and creating, yet it took me 10 years to participate in one of the most iconic film festivals, the BFI London Film Festival. Everything has changed ever since I decided to create my own production company and dive into the world of movies and making from a different angle. I am still adjusting. When you walk into a room as an actor, most people look at you, knowing you want to be in their movies. When you walk into a room as the head of a production company, everyone suddenly looks at you, as if you know and understand the industry. Newsflash: I am still learning every day.

A MATTER OF DARKNESS

I’ve been selective with paying attention to who, when, and why since I became a writer. When you write, it’s so easy to get distracted, so you have to be selective about the time you spend and especially with whom. When I stepped back into acting in 2023, I quickly realised that the same applies to acting —and now even more so as the Head of the I AM X. Everybody can be an actor, but not everyone wants to act. When I saw that Good Boy was making its way to BFI, I knew I had to be in the room and bet all my high hopes to get a glimpse, before everyone else did or could.

The trailer didn’t give much away, which, in retrospect, makes it even more excellent. Nowadays, Trailers can become the best part of a movie. In the case of Good Boy, it was the right kind of teaser to pique my interest. I’ve been engaging with the subject of horror ever since I was a teenager - I’ve pretty much seen it all, heard it all, and more or less felt it all. My hopes for Good Boy were that we didn’t just see another torture-porn in the category of abduction, but an actual, in-depth script that would deliver deeper psychology. I wasn’t disappointed, despite my skepticism about the movie’s length.

TOMMY, DEAREST, A NOT SO GENTLE PLOT INTRODUCTION

The movie starts with an excellent prime example of a northern lad who doesn’t have his shit together. Tommy is a walking disaster, charming like a chainsaw and out of control in every direction of his nightlife. Drugs, Cheating, beefin’ with the security guard - it’s just another night for god old Tommy until he walks into the night of what feels like a handheld camera perspective in a horror game. And there he goes.

Waking up to a newfound reality, Tommy is now chained up in a cellar of a family mansion in the middle of nowhere. A guy named Chris, played by Stephen Graham, is his newfound father figure. Furthermore, in the house are his wife, Kathryn, played by Andrea Riseborough, and his son, Jonathan, played by Kit Rakusen.

GOOD BOY, BAD BOY, MIGHT BE YOUR NEXT DOOR

What could have been a further 90 minutes of torture and no sense of a plot surprised me with deeper psychology along the way. Kathryn starts as a ghostly figure of an absent mother who doesn’t seem to be in control, while Chris runs the show, teaching Tommy to behave and do better. Andrea Riseborough is doing an excellent job of subtle acting, which is so expressive through her eyes alone. The creepy and eerie you’re usually used to when you’re familiar with Japanese Horror movies or Horror Anime. Beyond her ghostly presence lies a mother who lost a son and never seemed to cope with the loss of a loved one. Likewise, Graham doesn’t fail to let you wonder whether he’s going to snap or not. Of course he does. But the terror of the scene hits right on time, in alignment with the movie’s pacing, letting you wonder which direction it takes next. Graham’s well-manufactured caretaker role is the sharp mirror to the on-point writing of the characters, which hit home with uncomfortable familiarity. Chris might as well be the guy who lives next door and happens to go by with his daily duties. Just like Tommy is the type of lad we have all met at a party at least once.

DANCE MACABRE FOR THE ONES WHO LIKE IT DARK & SEE BEYOND

This movie isn’t for the faint-hearted, and neither is it for those who expect to find a comical relief at the end—exactly my taste. If anything, this movie hits harder by surprising the audience with a once again close to home reality, where Tommy goes back to his abductors, when he realizes he has nothing left to lose or care for but his girlfriend, who reported him missing. And suddenly, the movie becomes its own tale of the philosophy of the cages we choose in everyday life. Jan Komasa, as the director, strikes a balance between thrill, vulnerability, and knowing when to step back and let the scenery speak for itself. Bartek Bartosik and Naqqash Khalid deliver as writers, especially when it comes to balancing dark British comedy with psychological depth.

EVERYBODY CAN BE AN ACTOR, BUT NOT EVERYBODY IS ANSON BOON

Boon had piqued my interest in the series Pistol and brought it back to my cosmos with his recent not-so-lad-but-brat performance as Eddie in Mobland. The industry is full of actors who think they act, but now and then, you find the rare few who actually mean what they say. And on top of that, you also see the ones, like me, who don’t shy away from showing their passion. A skill that nowadays seems to fade in the industry that is built on passion. Ironic. Boon doesn’t just deliver a one-person performance, giving Tommy the layers he deserves; he also knows how to balance the metaphorical sword of a performer who needs to choose when to cut and when to yield. There wasn’t a minute in this movie when the layers didn’t entertain, ranging from snarky northern bites to vulnerable moments of a kid who didn’t know better. Boon finally gave a show and performance that the industry desperately needed, opening the door to showcase that productions don’t always need an overbearing cast, but simply a young spirit who can keep up with performances like those of Riseborough and Graham.

AND FINALLY

A movie that didn’t leave me unsatisfied, but instead inspired and excited me for the future of filmmakers, who seem to think just like me and my crew.

With love,

CAPTAIN LC