Finding a different (or at least less utilized) spin on any genre or subgenre is a tall order. Doubly so when it comes to stories that revolve around kidnappings. Generally such films either focus on the victim’s continued escape attempts or on a police investigation to locate them. Not so with Goodbye Honey.
While we do get glimpses into the how and why of both the kidnapping and the escape, that’s not the point here. Instead, what filmmaker Max Strand is interested in is the aftermath of said escape. What happens when you finally get away from your captor and come across other people as you are fleeing? Will they help you? Will they turn you away? Will they take advantage of you? What would you do if someone ran up to you stating that they had just escaped captivity? These are all terrifying and important questions.
This is a story of how people deal with extraordinary and traumatic circumstances. Can we as human beings set aside our own needs and selfish impulses to help one another in times of crisis? Or are we so self-centered that we would only further hinder the victims of the world, instead of help? It’s a powerful theme at any given point in time, but especially right now, given the state of the world in 2020.
Goodbye Honey can be suspenseful at times, but its disturbing moments come more from its psychological and sociological implications than its moments of violence. This is very much a character study not on of its characters, but of its viewers as well. One backed by some good performances and a well-utilized contained setting. My biggest gripes are that I wish the moment of terror hit a bit harder and that the finale just pack quite enough of a wallop. Those two things aside, this is a solid little indie thriller with a lot on its mind.
Goodbye Honey is an original thriller. It was directed by Max Strand, from a screenplay by Todd Rawiszer and Max Strand. The film was produced by Josh Michaels, Mihir Oza, Todd Rawiszer, Max Strand, and Sarah Wood Wilson. It stars Pamela Jayne Morgan, Juliette Alice Gobin, Paul C. Kelly, Peyton Michelle Edwards, Aaron Mitchell, Jake Laurence, Rafe Soule, Keara Benton, and Stacey Van Gorder.
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