Review of Good (2008) by Little China Tao B — 03 Jan 2009

[font=Century Gothic]In "Good," it is 1933 in Berlin where John Halder(Viggo Mortensen) not only has the responsibilities of being a literature professor but also the head of a contentious household that includes two children, his tubercular mother(Gemma Jones) and his neurotic wife Helen(Anastasia Hille). He now has the amorous attentions of a beautiful student, Ann(Jodie Whittaker), to distract him. No wonder he is in psychoanalysis with his best friend Maurice(Jason Isaacs). Through all of this, somehow he finds enough time to write a novel which in four years' time will come to the attention of the Nazi leadership because of its handling of euthanasia. Their only problem with him is that he is not yet a Party member.[/font].

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[font=Century Gothic]"Good" is about a Faustian bargain which is nothing new when it comes to the Nazis. In exchange for his soul, John loses his old problems and his old family, and gets a promotion and a beautiful young wife. What the Nazis get in return is an intellectual who is willing to promote ideas they agree with. All of which puts John's friendship with Maurice to the test which is the moral center of the movie. For that reason, the chemistry between Viggo Mortensen and Jason Isaacs lifts the movie above the purely routine. [/font].