Good One

Good One

Year: 2024

Runtime: 1 h 30 m

Language: english

Director: India Donaldson

Echo Score: 90
Drama

During a family getaway in the Catskill Mountains, a teenage girl named Sam finds herself caught between her charming but self-centered father and his longtime friend. The weekend trip becomes a complex exploration of family relationships, generational differences, and a young woman's search for her own identity.

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Timeline & Setting – Good One (2024)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Good One (2024). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Catskills, New York

The story unfolds during a weekend camping trip in the Catskills, a forested area known for rugged trails and scenic overlooks. The secluded setting provides a natural backdrop for intimate conversations and mounting tensions among Sam, her father Chris, and Matt. The landscape’s quiet beauty contrasts with the emotional conflicts, underscoring themes of trust and boundary-setting amid family challenges.

🏞️ Outdoors 👪 Family dynamics 🗺️ Adventure

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 20:00

Main Characters – Good One (2024)

Meet the key characters of Good One (2024), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Sam (Lily Collias)

Sam is a perceptive teenager navigating her father Chris's new marriage and his friendship with Matt while also managing her own sense of identity. She often mediates tension, takes responsibility for group needs, and quietly processes hurt from adult behavior. Over the course of the trip, she asserts boundaries and seeks authentic connection, even when it means challenging those around her.

💬 Honest 🧭 Independent 🏳️‍🌈 Queer identity

Matt (Danny McCarthy)

Matt is a warm, self-deprecating father figure caught between his recent divorce and his role with Sam and Dylan. He uses humor to defuse tension, yet his teasing can wound, especially when it touches Sam's sexuality or family dynamics. His longing to be a good parent clashes with his imperfect, sometimes insensitive, behavior, revealing both vulnerability and flaws.

😂 Humor 💬 Communication 👨‍👧 Parenting

Chris (James Le Gros)

Chris is Sam's father, newly remarried and trying to maintain control while balancing new family dynamics. He often teases Matt and can dismiss Sam's concerns, which strains trust and creates friction. Beneath his casual exterior lies a desire for a peaceful trip and genuine connection with Sam, even as his reactions complicate that goal.

👨‍👧 Father figure 💬 Tension 🧭 Boundaries

Dylan (Julian Grady)

Dylan is Matt's resentful son who resists the trip due to the fallout of his parents' divorce. He remains withdrawn and skeptical of the adults around him, which heightens the emotional stakes for Sam and amplifies the sense of generational conflict. His quiet defiance serves as a counterpoint to Sam's growing assertiveness.

🧒 Adolescence 😡 Resentment 👪 Family dynamics

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 20:00

Major Themes – Good One (2024)

Explore the central themes of Good One (2024), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

💔 Family Strain

The trip lays bare the fragility of adult relationships as Sam watches her father and his friend navigate humor, flirtation, and old wounds. The ongoing divorce and new partnerships create tension that Sam cannot ignore, forcing her to confront the ways adults fail to protect her feelings. Through heated moments and quiet revelations, the film examines loyalty, trust, and the limits of forgiveness within a family.

🧭 Self Discovery

Sam emerges as a thoughtful observer who begins to articulate her own needs and boundaries. She tests her voice in uncomfortable conversations and slowly asserts independence, even when it means stepping away from comfort zones. The journey becomes less about the destination and more about understanding who she is in relation to the adults around her.

🏕️ Nature as Mirror

The Catskills’ natural beauty mirrors the characters’ inner states, offering moments of solace and clarity amid conflict. Quiet hikes, campfire chats, and overlooks invite reflection on what each person values and fears. The environment acts as a pressure release, revealing truths that words alone often fail to express.

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 20:00

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Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Movies like Good One with Quiet Teen Coming-of-Age Stories

Stories of quiet, simmering self-discovery against a backdrop of adult conflict.If you liked the subtle character study in Good One, explore more movies about introspective teenagers navigating complex family dynamics. These films often feature slow pacing, tense atmospheres, and a focus on quiet moments of personal realization and rebellion.

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Narrative Summary

Narratives in this thread typically follow a young person, often a teenager, on a journey—literal or emotional—that puts them in close quarters with older figures. The central conflict is internal and external, as the protagonist processes disappointment and quietly forms their own moral compass, culminating in a non-dramatic but significant act of self-definition.

Why These Movies?

These movies are grouped by their shared focus on the quiet, observational perspective of a young person. They prioritize emotional tension over plot, feature slow-burn pacing, and explore themes of generational conflict and the painful, necessary process of forging an identity separate from one's family.

Movies with Slow Burn Tension and Isolated Settings like Good One

Stories where interpersonal conflict simmers in a confined, natural environment.Find movies like Good One that use a confined setting to heighten emotional drama. These stories often involve small groups on trips where beautiful surroundings contrast with rising interpersonal tension, awkward silences, and unaddressed grievances.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern involves a small cast of characters forced into proximity, often in a remote or natural setting that limits escape. The plot is driven not by external events but by the gradual escalation of underlying resentments, miscommunications, and power dynamics, leading to emotional confrontations.

Why These Movies?

These films share a specific atmospheric blend: the beauty or harshness of an isolated setting amplifies the claustrophobic feeling of interpersonal drama. The slow pacing allows tension to build from small, uncomfortable moments, creating a deeply observational and often oppressive mood.

Unlock the Full Story of Good One

Don't stop at just watching — explore Good One in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Good One is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Good One Summary

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Good One Summary

Good One Timeline

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Good One Timeline

Good One Ending Explained

What really happened at the end of Good One? This detailed ending explained page breaks down final scenes, hidden clues, and alternate interpretations with expert analysis and viewer theories.

Good One Ending Explained

Good One Spoiler-Free Summary

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Good One Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Good One

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