The Good Heart

The Good Heart, a film directed by Dagur Kári, stars Brian Cox, Paul Dano, and Bill Buell, and made its debut in 2009. It is a drama that experiments with the themes of mortality, friendship, and redemption, set against the backdrop of a gritty New York City bar.

Brian Cox, cast as the cantankerous and foul-mouthed bar owner Jacques, dominates the screen with his formidable presence. Jacques, who has suffered multiple heart attacks, is warned by the doctors that he doesn't have much time left. He lives a lone wolf life, has no family, and his bar is his only source of solace. However, Jacques' world takes a turn when he meets Lucas, portrayed by Paul Dano.

Lucas, an introverted and homeless young man, is completely opposite in demeanor to the rough and tough Jacques. In spite of the contrast, or perhaps because of it, Jacques takes Lucas under his wing during their stay at the hospital together. Jacques is touched by Lucas' vulnerability and decides to mentor him to take over his bar post his death.

As Lucas begins to spend more time with Jacques, he is slowly drawn into the world of the bar and its motley group of patrons. He plays this novice perfectly, creating a tension that boils under the surface as he struggles to meet Jacques' expectations. The character of Lucas, aptly played by Dano, brings a sense of hope and innocence into the dark, insular world of Jacques, offering a balance to the narrative.

One of the film's notable characters is an eccentric airline stewardess named April, whose entry into the narrative stirs things up. April, portrayed convincingly by Isild Le Besco, is regularly present in the bar and becomes an important link in the evolving relationship between Jacques and Lucas.

The relationship between Jacques and Lucas forms the crux of the film. It is a turbulent, evolving, and emotional alliance, played out fantiastically by the seasoned Brian Cox and the younger Paul Dano. Their relationship provides several moments of intense drama, unexpected humor, and tender pathos.

Perceived as a dark horse of its year of release, The Good Heart is a testament to the experienced and nuanced direction of Dagur Kári. The movie beautifully serves as a poignant critique of the harshness of an urban existence while illuminating moments of love, generosity, and humanity that help overcome it.

With The Good Heart, the viewers are served a slice of New York life that is raw, real, and dramatic. The story brilliantly contrasts the hardened world of a rundown bar and its regular patrons with the innocent, uncynical world of Lucas. The narrative is full of despair and yet, upliftment, a unique blend that makes it an engrossing realization of life's ironies.

The film offers moments of piercing reality with themes of life, death, friendship and survival colliding against each other in the simplest, yet most profound ways. The dialogues are often hard-hitting and the cinema-photography adds to the dour atmosphere of the film. Despite the intensity of the film, there is an underlying current of warmth and hope which comes across in the most unexpected ways.

The Good Heart is the kind of film that may leave its viewers in quiet contemplation. It delves deep into the human spirit through its depiction of the lives of the hard-bitten Jacques and the innocent, wide-eyed Lucas with the bar serving as a stage for their encounters. A movie about survival, hope, bonding and second chances, The Good Heart presents real-life lessons wrapped in the garb of an urban drama.

In conclusion, The Good Heart is a movie that, despite its hard exterior, grows on the viewer through its wit, engaging performances, and powerful theme. It is a film that must be watched for an altogether different perspective on life and relations, told through a bar owner's disheartened outlook and a homeless wanderer's optimistic leanings.