Now Is Good
2012 · Directed by Ol Parker
Original language: English
- drama
- romance
The story
A girl dying of leukemia compiles a list of things she'd like to do before passing away. Topping the list is her desire to lose her virginity.
What it’s like
Soft, sun-washed English summer light, with warm daylight interiors and bright, slightly faded greens in the gardens and seaside streets, gives this film a gentle, slightly wistful glow. The camerawork stays close and unfussy, favouring easy two-shots and intimate handheld moments over flashy movement, and the sound leans on folky acoustic guitar and soft pop-tinged score that swells at tender beats and drops out for quiet ones. The vibe is bittersweet and tender, a warm melancholy that never tips into bleakness, best suited to a rainy afternoon, a comfort watch with a box of tissues, or an evening when you want to feel something without being wrecked. Its pacing is easygoing and episodic, built around a list of small adventures, and its emotional arc follows a sharp, funny, terminally ill teenager and the boy who learns to be braver alongside her. The subject is illness and death, so there is sorrow and some hospital-set sadness, but the intensity is low: romance and sexual themes appear with frank but non-explicit teen awkwardness, and violence is absent. It suits viewers who want a heartfelt, romantic, tearful story with warmth and humour, especially those who enjoy young-adult romance with an honest, emotional core.
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