Proceedings are complicated by the arrival of Sigrid who, after an initial date, goes to Christian’s home. The discovery of Frank initially repulses Sigrid, but peer pressure (motivated by Christian’s wealth) sees her attempt to embrace life with Christian. But rose-tinted goggles prevent people from seeing the red flags.
Bøe shoots with a cold detachment, a matter-of-fact quality permeating through this work. It helps prevent the film slipping into the outlandish, right up until a particularly troubling final sequence. Committed turns from the likes of Gard Løkke and Katrine Lovise Øpstad Fredriksen help to sell the narrative’s twist and turns, particularly when proceedings move to a remote cabin (another red flag in the dating world). The frustration I felt over Sigrid’s placidity is perhaps intentional, and there’s a reading here of the film as a deconstruction of the kind of toxic relationship seen in something like the 50 Shades series.
Good Boy has a particular pace that is lost in the last act as it runs towards its final moments. The film could have benefited from giving us more detail here, letting these moments breathe. But what Bøe has here, in no small part thanks to his central duo, is one of the most fascinating, twisted works of the year. Just remember ladies, if he has a pet dog that is in fact a man in a costume, that’s a dealbreaker.