There is something about low-budget, independent films that gives them a sense of freshness and novelty. For starters, these films—in most cases—are a result of a paramount passion for cinema and prioritize their story and characters over everything else. I have a soft corner for films made with a tight budget, for I am certain these are the films that will be a reflection of the director’s vision. Juno (2007) and Little Miss Sunshine (2006), among others, are a few of the memorable flicks that have been engraved in public memory owing to their ability to move their audiences. Obviously, the idea is to let the story take the front seat. 

Nicole Gomez Fisher’s filmography fits well in this definition of budget films that have been devised out of a need to weave personal narratives into films and let the characters do the talking. In her directorial debut, Sleeping With The Fishes (2013), we meet Alexis Fish (Gina Rodriguez), a recently widowed woman struggling to get hold of her life. The 95-minute-long film maps the journey of self-discovery while she deals with her rather bizarre family and, in the process, regains her long-lost courage. In a 2014 interview, the director shared that the film was “loosely based on her own life”.

Her recent Good Egg (2022) is another tale of an urban woman who navigates complex themes of motherhood, familial ties, and love. We come across a high school drama teacher, Jessica (Yara Martinez), who, after failed attempts at In Vitro Fertilization to conceive a child, is forced to consider an unconventional egg donor scenario that plunges her into a dangerous and exhilarating adventure with her husband Gordon (Joel Johnstone). Good Egg—like Fisher’s last film—has a personal touch to it. 

It is interesting to see an unconventional treatment of the emotional turmoil that comes with IVF treatment. The film starts off as a drama and proceeds to become a chase comedy. Apart from a struggling couple, there are other characters, each eccentric on its own. There are members of the mafia, kidnappers, and even the FBI. But amid this muddle, the film ends up losing its soul. Good Egg is a case of juxtaposing realism with absurdity to generate a hearty laugh from the audience. There are some punches that work and then some that do not. There are some plot twists that keep you gripped to your seat—when Gordon is picked by the FBI—but then some feel overly repetitive and contribute little to the adventure of watching the film. The climax, too, attempts to attain a high but falls flat. Martinez and Johnstone have been brilliantly cast. I wish I could see more of them together. Good Egg is for when you want to watch a no-brainer. Expect little because it intends to be a light watch. It is not a high cinema. At best, the film would make a good dinner-time watch.

Review Courtesy of Anjani Chadha