Good Intentions by Zach Litwack & Coat of Arms

Jonathan Lacocque

Good Intentions is a dark comedy that tells the story of Harold Troost, a young graduate student who hopes to some day become a psychiatric therapist. While searching for a new apartment at the beginning of his sophomore year, he is shown an apartment by Mrs. Hinderman, the ill-tempered crone who owns a dilapidated building. They visit Apartment 402, to find the current occupant, Monica Grenier, a beautiful failed artist with a pistol to her head, moments away from committing suicide. Shocked by the intruders, she accidentally fires the gun, killing Mrs. Hinderman. Afraid that Harold will notify the authorities, Monica holds Harold at gunpoint. Infatuated with the beautiful Monica and wary of her emotionally fragile state, Harold helps hide Mrs. Hinderman’s body and divert the attention of Bernie, a neighbor who has overheard the commotion. After a standoff, Monica eventually lets Harold go. However, he stubbornly stays put, determined to psychoanalyze her. Harold’s sophomoric attempt to save Monica from a self-destructive fate backfires, unleashing tragicomic results. That day, Harold truly learns that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. On the surface, Good Intentions is clearly a comedy, albeit a very dark one. It hopes to comedically subvert the philanthropic notion that sticking your neck out for others yields positive results. At its heart, the film also has a serious intention—to question the trite dynamic between the male hero and the damsel in distress that is found so often in Western dramatic work. In the real world outside of fairy tales, damsels are often not the ones that need saving. Sometimes, it’s the hero.