Grief is another version of love, a special form of it that causes a lot of pain, but it’s also an assurance that the love was real. It is the inherent goodness of the grieving process that the new drama film titled Good Grief wants to explore, but it has a tough time giving us an insight into the mind of a grieving individual. We get a story about friendship, coping mechanisms, casual flings, and overcoming grief with very little complexity. The story is nudged towards a very specific ending in a heavy-handed manner, which leaves a very icky feeling, as it implies that the results were not reached organically. The performances are good, but there are some scenes where the drama is unnecessarily heightened without having a solid foundation at the character level.
Spoilers Ahead
Plot Synopsis: What Happens In The Film?
On Christmas day, Marcus and Oliver were sure that their lives were only going to get better. They didn’t know a tragedy was lurking around the corner. Oliver died in a car accident after leaving the party, leaving Marcus a widower. Marcus was lucky to have some very good friends around him; otherwise, his life would have been even more unbearable than it had become. Losing interest in everything, he started to face the fact that Oliver was gone, and that he had a lot of secrets that he hadn’t told Marcus. Oliver was a writer and a filmmaker, working with some very talented people, and Marcus was his collaborator. Sophie and Thomas, Marcus’ closest friends, tried helping Marcus get back to living his life while trying to stabilize their own, but Marcus had some idiosyncratic plans that were meant to shake things up.
Why Did Marcus Move To Paris?
Sophie was dealing with her inability to be in a real relationship, and Thomas was trying not to be a pushover when it came to dealing with his cheating boyfriend, but both of them combined were almost like a panacea for the grieving Marcus. Well, it did take Marcus a year to get something going, but this interval could have been much longer had it not been for Sophie and Thomas, who were available at Marcus’ beck and call. Marcus met a man named Theo at an art exhibition, and this was the first time after Oliver’s death that he had felt something for somebody else, romantically speaking. But Theo lived in Paris, and Marcus had no business going there. He was a painter who was doing everything from illustrating children’s books to advising Sophie on her relationship to avoid his true calling.
Things took a turn when Marcus figured that before his untimely demise, Oliver had met someone else and had written a letter to discuss the course of action for the relationship. Later, Imelda, his lawyer, told Marcus about a house Oliver had leased in Paris where he was spending time with his lover. Marcus made a plan to go to Paris and figure out who the lover was, and this way he would also get to meet Theo. There was a third bird he wanted to hit with this stone, and he did so by inviting Thomas and Sophie on his trip to Paris. Sophie seemed to be needing a break, as she had bungled up her good relationship with Terrance.
How Did The Trip Help Marcus, Sophie, And Thomas?
Marcus may have found Theo, but he still had not overcome his grieving state. There were things present in the exquisite house in Paris that removed all doubt that Oliver was spending his time with someone else. He was buying expensive stuff for his lover, and Marcus decided to return the items while trying to figure out who the mystery man was. Before he went crazy thinking about it, Sophie found herself a date, which did not go well but made her hit rock bottom, where she realized what a fool she had been for leaving Terrance. Thomas was upset because Marcus had left them without any notification and went on to visit the art galleries in Paris. He was upset that he was always the last to be chosen, for love or otherwise. There was a sense of catharsis on this trip, and everybody was finally feeling free to own up to their mistakes.
Is Marcus Happy?
Marcus was happy to meet Theo, and seeing his genuine curiosity, he told him that he had stopped painting after his mother’s death. Painting reminded Marcus of her, and he didn’t want to face the pain it caused. He didn’t want to avoid the grieving process this time around. But there was so much anger after learning about the mystery lover. The confrontation came soon when Luca walked into the house where Marcus was staying. Luca was a dancer and had met Oliver and started an affair with him, and since he had the keys to the house, he couldn’t deny this fact. Things could have been ugly between Marcus and Luca, but after a year since Oliver’s death, things had cooled down, and everybody had a better perspective. Marcus did, however, keep his distance from Luca.
Marcus had to leave Paris as the house was leased, and he had to let it go if he had to settle Oliver’s debts. He hadn’t handed in the two film scripts he’d promised a Hollywood studio, and they were asking him to return the heavy advance they’d given him, which meant that Imelda had done some pruning on the finances and the house was a liability. Marcus went a step further and decided to sell his London house as well, to go far away from the city and begin painting again in solitude. Theo had made him see Monet’s paintings in Paris, which were an ode to all that he loved in his lifetime. Marcus had found most of his answers in Paris, and the rest of them were to be found in his paintings. Oliver’s photos and his memories became Marcus’ memories, and his grieving process was complete. He was a happy man by the end of it. Now, it doesn’t mean that there won’t be problems, but the film gave us an optimistic reading. Sophie got back with Terrance, and Thomas found love again. Marcus may get back with Theo, whom he seemed to have left behind, as perhaps both of them realized that theirs was just a special relationship that ended in Paris. But there is a possibility that they may reconnect. Theo had visited London once, and he could do it again. The main thing seems to be that Marcus is back with his painting and has regained his lost solitude.
