Following its UK premiere at Frightfest in August this year, Blue Finch Film have released the much-anticipated Good Boy on digital, and although director Viljar Bøe’s third feature dabbles in the horror genre, as with films like Audition and Fresh, it initially plays out as a typical romantic comedy until sinister revelations occur.
The film opens with Christian and Frank – the titular “good boy” who, in this case, is a man dressed in a dog suit who continuously behaves, acts and lives as a real canine. The suit itself has been amazingly designed and is strikingly, uncannily recognisable as a dog, but also unignorably human-like and immediately unsettling whenever Frank is in shot (I don’t know if the costume was made for the film or if outfits like it actually exist, but I sincerely hope it is the former). Nicolai Narvesen Lied (who has worked on Bøe’s previous films), brings great physicality to the role and adds an extra playfully sinister edge.
The film’s original Norwegian title – translated as Me, You and Frank – suggests that the narrative structure is primarily that of a romcom, with the meet-cute happening via Tinder. The first date is charmingly awkward as Christian explains to psychology student Sigrid that he is antisocial, doesn’t work and doesn’t like big groups, but he’s handsome enough for Sigrid to go home with, only to meet Frank the morning after – and she’s as shocked as you’d expect. After talking to her best friend Aurora (who very much fills the trope version of this role from classic romcoms), Sigrid gives Christian another chance.
Knowing that this is a horror story does slightly spoil the narrative arc, but it doesn’t take away from Sigrid (and the film itself), accepting “unorthodox” relationships.
Knowing that this is a horror story does slightly spoil the narrative arc, but it doesn’t take away from Sigrid (and the film itself), accepting “unorthodox” relationships. It also plays well with the tension of Christian displaying some typical red flags for the genre that can also be perceived as personality quirks. Whether it’s suggesting a date night of “Hitchcock and Bolognese” or planning trips away to a cabin in the woods, the viewer expects horror to happen, which means that the atmosphere isn’t as tense as it could be, but as the relationship inevitably starts to unravel there’s still plenty of fun to be had.
It helps that the performers know exactly what sort of film they’re in and play it all admirably straight, but for all the fun of the conceit and genre-shifting shenanigans, there’s also an interesting commentary on class and privilege running underneath the story. Christian may be unemployed but he lives comfortably in a big house that he inherited from his deceased parents, one of whom we discover was a multimillionaire. It’s through his relationships with Sigrid and Frank that his sense of entitlement is gradually revealed in subtle ways, climaxing in the shocking final moments of the film.
The final act is genuinely disturbing and admirably bleak – a sharp contrast to the light playfulness of the rest of the film. There are plenty of laughs from both the romantic comedy storyline and the awkward tension created whenever Frank is on screen, but it’s ultimately a slight film that, based on its premise, could become a victim of overhype. That said, Good Boy is thoroughly entertaining, and with a less than eighty-minute running time it’s an indie treat well worth seeking out.
Good Boy is out now on Digital Platforms from Blue Finch Films
