Florence Pugh plays Allison, a young woman whose life spirals out of control after a car accident, in Zach Braff’s new movie.
During lockdown, Zach Braff wrote a new movie for Florence Pugh to star in – and the resulting film is A Good Person.
The drama tells the story of Allison (Pugh), whose life spirals out of control after she is involved in a car accident.
She has become addicted to the OxyContin she was given for the pain, but her injuries have healed and she shouldn’t take them anymore.
Allison has become the shell of the bubbly young woman she once was and fulfilling her addiction occupies her days.
She cannot face up to reality and needs an escape. She finally turns a corner when she bumps into Daniel (Morgan Freeman) at an AA meeting.
This film, both written and directed by Braff, shines a harsh spotlight on the opioid crisis in the U.S. so it is not an easy watch.
It is mostly a serious and heavy character study as we follow Allison as she takes drugs, makes bad choices on them, tries to find more and repeats the cycle.
Thankfully, Allison reaches a turning point in the story where she wants to change her ways – so there is also a lot of hope too.
Also, Braff cleverly uses humour throughout his script to cut through the seriousness whenever it gets too much.
The film is still very dark (it’s an addiction drama so that’s to be expected) but there is plenty of much-needed comic relief peppered throughout.
Pugh has proven time and time again that she excels in intense roles such as Allison.
A Good Person would probably not be as compelling without her captivating and heartbreaking performance and she is utterly convincing as a person who resents herself. Pugh is on a roll at the moment and the top-tier performances just keep on coming.
She develops a unique dynamic with Freeman, who is as reliable as ever, and it was interesting to see their ‘friendship’ play out.
They are both supported by Chinaza Uche, who gives an affecting performance as her kind ex Nathan, and Celeste O’Connor as his rebellious niece Ryan.
A Good Person won’t be everybody’s cup of tea because it isn’t exactly “enjoyable”. However, it’s worth a watch for Braff’s smart script and Pugh’s outstanding performance.
In cinemas from Friday 24th March and Sky Cinema from 28th April.
© Cover Media