We all deal with death at some point in our lives – whether a friend or family member or even our inevitable demise, there comes a time when we have to come to terms with this enormous inevitability. There isn’t any good time for someone to die, but there is an additional layer of sadness that comes with death when it occurs during the holiday season since a time meant for celebration and festivities is now obscured by the knowledge that it was a loved one’s final time experiencing the magic of Christmas. This is the starting point for Good Grief, the directorial debut of Daniel Levy, who finally steps behind a bigger camera after years of writing and directing for television, with a show like Schitt’s Creek making invaluable contributions to a recent renaissance in television comedy. This film could not be more different in terms of tone and approach than his previous work, which were outrageous comedies that had a solid emotional core, rather than what we find in this film, which is a hauntingly beautiful, deeply sad existential odyssey that follows a young man as he endures the challenges that come about after his husband dies in a tragic accident, the way forward being considerably more difficult than he initially imagined it to be, which causes him to undergo a period of readjustment that not only teaches him about his own life but helps him understand the world that surrounds him. A beautiful and tender film that is both an insightful examination of a young man navigating major changes in his life, and a heartful celebration of identity, sexuality and humanity as a whole, Good Grief is a compassionate and meaningful film that sees Levy taking all the aspects of his work that we love, and infusing them into a slightly bigger project that still demonstrates his talent, just in an entirely new medium – and like his television work, this film proves that he has nothing less than an extraordinarily bright future ahead of him.

Without making it seem like Levy is unoriginal or somehow not brilliant enough to craft something unique, there is not a single theme in Good Grief that we have not seen explored in other works over the years, especially Christmas films, which tend to be incubators for some very serious discussions, almost as if the festivities of the period lend themselves to self-reflection and more emotional vulnerability. Levy is still a relative newcomer in terms of narrative storytelling, so we can easily forgive his decision to make a film that touches on very familiar themes – ultimately, reinventing the genre is not always the wisest decision for someone hoping to make their directorial debut. The overarching theme that drives the narrative is loss – when we meet the main character, he has recently lost his mother, and his husband dies only a few minutes into the film, which prompts him to carry the burden of somehow having been made “both an orphan and a widower” in a relatively short period. It’s a simple concept that kickstarts the rest of the narrative, which uses his grieving process to explore other themes, such as friendship (which is covertly the most important concept in the film) and identity, which manifest in a story that is both heartfelt and quietly devastating. These themes are not groundbreaking, but Levy puts them together in a way that carries a lot of meaning, and while it may be slightly lacking in terms of some of the ideas that it seems willing to explore, there is still a sense of genuine complexity that informs a lot of the story. It’s not an autobiographical work at all, but Good Grief still allows Levy to reflect on his own identity as a queer artist, and like many filmmakers from within the LGBTQIA+ community, his work is heavily informed by the desire to find some sense of belonging in a hostile world. These themes are only the start when it comes to the elements that make this film so meaningful, and Levy’s ability to write such a concise, simple film but have it be infused with such deep meaning is a clear indication that he is one of our best young writers working today.

The journey for a film like Good Grief was not likely to be easy, since it had to not only tell a coherent story but do so in a way that felt genuine. Such a film could have easily fallen victim to tonal imbalances and the most heavy-handed emotions, and even though its successful, it doesn’t manage to completely avoid some of these elements, especially considering the director is something of a novice. For some reason, the film has been marketed as both a comedy and a Christmas film, neither of which are entirely applicable – it does take place at Christmas, but it is only marginal and doesn’t bear the hallmarks of being a festive film (in fact, it’s quite the opposite), and it does have many moments of heartfelt humour, but it’s far more of a melancholic affair. Unfortunately, such promotion can mislead audiences into thinking this film is something it never intended to be, but instead turns out to be far more interesting. Despite this being his feature directorial debut, Levy shows himself to have a firm command of the emotions that drive this film, and every moment is filled to the brim with unforgettable, heartfelt moments that are drawn from his curiosity about certain subjects. The film walks a very narrow tonal boundary between comedy and drama, and it utilizes humour as a tool more than trying to rework a very sad story into being a comedy. There are many aspects of the film that benefit from such a distinct approach, and we have to admire Levy for not trivializing any of these themes – we can imagine a version of this film that tells the same story, but constructs it as an off-the-wall comedy. Instead, Levy approaches it in a far more dramatic way, allowing the characters to stew in their sadness, to the point where it feels like an intentionally joyless affair, which ultimately leads to the striking catharsis that comes towards the end, where we genuinely feel like these characters have grown and become much more nuanced as a result of having been appropriately developed.

One of Levy’s greatest gifts is his knack for writing characters – his previous work is known to be very funny, but when you remove the veneer of comedy, you see how these stories are built on the characters that populate them, and Levy is a major reason why Schitt’s Creek contained one of the best television ensembles of the past decade. This gift continues in Good Grief, which is built on its cast in much the same way, and the decision to cast certain actors in these roles only amplifies its brilliance. Primarily, we have Levy himself as the lead – and while it would be easy to reduce this performance to the same tics and quirks he exhibited in the past, just shown from a more dramatic perspective, this does an immense disservice to his genuinely strong work. He’s not a particularly versatile character, and he thrives on playing a certain kind of character – but this doesn’t preclude him from being able to turn in a very strong performance. He’s joined by Himesh Patel and Ruth Negga, who are the heart and soul of the film. Levy is something of a cypher, someone whose emotional journey we are invested in, but which we don’t fully understand until midway through, and the only reason we realize this is because of the characters that surround him. Negga in particular is extremely impressive – she is both the comedic relief and the voice of reason, and her performance is exuberant, heartfelt and bitingly funny, showing us a side of an actor who has rapidly ascended to the point of being one of her generation’s greatest talents, and who seems to only be growing. The film also makes the smart decision to cast Celia Imrie in a role that is more than just a scene-stealing comedic presence, but rather a very important character – she has a monologue towards the end that is perhaps the most heartwrenching moment in the entire film, and she proves that she is one of the most unheralded talents in contemporary cinema. A film like Good Grief is only going to work if the entire ensemble is strong, and everyone delivers excellent performances that are deeply moving and profoundly captivating.

Good Grief is a film that starts with a tragedy and ends with a celebration, which is an original approach to a subject that has been covered multiple times in the past, but yet still feels deeply engaging and extremely compelling, even when it is slightly predictable. It’s not clear where Levy’s directorial career will go next – this is an objectively safe, relatively easy subject to use as one’s debut, but it’s not enough to set the foundation for an entire career, and one would hope that this is only the start of what will be a great career behind the camera since he is certainly very talented. The success of Schitt’s Creek essentially meant that Levy was given a blank cheque for whenever he chose to make his film debut as a director – but that goodwill only lasts long enough for this film, and whatever he chooses to do next needs to be more innovative and daring since he has the talents to be one of our great filmmakers, granted the subject matter is worth the time and effort. Good Grief is a solid debut – nothing remarkable in terms of narrative or visual detail, but it is still very strong in the areas where it was required, and sometimes consistency is the best approach when testing the waters of an entirely different medium. It’s a good film that knows how to navigate many of the more difficult emotions, and Levy’s ability to draw out such evocative, deep meaning from such a relatively simple story is incredible, making for an extraordinary film that is deep, moving and genuinely heartfelt. It follows conventions, but it never feels burdened by them, and we find that its most inspiring moments are those in between the traditional narrative beats, where we see the raw ambition shining through. It’s a poignant and beautiful film filled to the brim with heart and soul and serves to be a reminder of the value of making impactful human connections while we can, since we never know what the future may hold.