Daniel Nolasco’s Portuguese-language film Only Good Things (Apenas Coisas Boas) leaves much to your imagination. Do you seek closure and conclusiveness in cinema? Then this erotic queer drama may not be your cup of tea.
Set in Brazil, the film unfolds across two eras and in different landscapes – rural and urban. In 1984, we meet a rugged and handsome cowboy named Antonio (Lucas Drummond). A runs a large farm where he makes cheese and is at odds with his father over his sexuality and inheritance. Enter Marcelo (Liev Carlos) – a gorgeous biker with long curls and defined features. En route to the state of Minas Gerais, he is struck by an object in the middle of the road in sheer Almodóvar style. A love story naturally blooms as Antonio nurses the wounded stranger back to health at his countryside farmhouse with very less clothes covering their bodies.
Yes, there’s abundant nudity in Only Good Things, but it’s all tastefully done. Along the expansive landscapes picturized grandly by the DOP Larry Machado, Antonio and Marcelo’s intimacy unfolds with boiling sensuality, eventually deepening into love. As is often the case with all good (and queer) things, danger lurks nearby. What we see later is a spate of gunshots, an exciting chase, a confrontation with a homophobic patriarch, and deaths, as if human lives didn’t really matter in rural Catalao.
One thing leads to another – Marcelo is presumed dead, and Antonio seemingly immerses himself in the São Marcos River alongside his lover’s body, only to re-emerge as his elderly self.
Cut to the present: the story shifts to a bustling metropolis. The aesthetics of the quiet farm give way to the calculated hustle of a city, with busy streets and parks. Antonio is now wealthy in a modern sense and lives in a swanky apartment. It is said that he and Marcelo were together for decades before the latter mysteriously vanished. Marcelo’s presence lingers only through unanswered calls and voice notes. A domestic help (Renata Carvalho), a manager (Igor Leoni), and a pet dog form the company in Antonio’s now-sterile world, far removed from the Catalao farm, once filled with cows.
Even in its second half, Only Good Things doesn’t stray from its erotic core. Nolasco knows exactly what he’s doing – teasing at first, then diving into full-blown passion as the actors bare themselves with no reticence. With a lengthy, beautifully lit lovemaking scene, followed by a series of bizarre encounters in the woods with unknown individuals, Nolasco gives his film a stark, absurdist tone.
The film also takes on absurdist and lightly investigative tones as it explores Marcelo’s disappearance. Whether it’s the large portrait that dominates the wall or the crochet blanket in pride colors that transcends eras, Only Good Things becomes an enduring meditation on love and loss.
The performances are uniformly strong. Lucas Drummond and Liev Carlos make for a strikingly magnetic pair, their chemistry both fierce and tender. Fernando Libonati, as the older Antonio, embodies ambiguity and longing with grace. Igor Leoni is arresting to look at, his peculiar characterization holding our attention throughout. Renata Carvalho is a delight – a bright spark in the film’s moody terrain.
Only Good Things doesn’t end with the satisfaction of narrative closure. Nolasco deliberately leaves crucial elements unresolved, urging your imagination to fill the gaps. Whether you see that as a mark of artistry or indulgence depends entirely on how you perceive its imagery and ideas. Either way, this tastefully sensual, visually stunning film stands out as one of the good experiences I’ve had at NewFest this year.
Rating: ★★★ 1/2
ALSO READ: ‘We Are Faheem & Karun’ review – Forbidden love in the valley of fear
