It’s only January, but Sundance entry “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” may well be sparking awards chatter for 2023 over Emma Thompson’s marvelous turn as Nancy Stokes, a widowed, retired secondary-school religious-education teacher who decides to hire the titular escort, played by Daryl McCormack (“The Wheel of Time”).
Comedy comedian Katy Brand’s script is basically a two-hander. It takes place almost entirely in one hotel room and could easily be reimagined for the West End. But the cast crew — led by Australian filmmaker Sophie Hyde, who brought “52 Tuesdays” and “Animals” to Sundance in 2014 and 2019, respectively — have put so much care into making the most within the piece’s limited confines that one could hardly deride the final product as stagy.
The film presents its early scenes in near–real time, opening with Nancy and Leo separately managing the jitters over their first encounter; she’s in the hotel room fussing over her rolling luggage while he hums behind the window of a coffee bar. He walks to her room at the time they have agreed on and asks for a kiss. Sensing her unease, he assures her they’ll have a great time. After moments of awkward silence, she offers him a mini-bar drink and they exchange pleasantries. She worries that he may feel let down. He would like to be able to see her dreams.
Both characters feel like archetypes from the beginning: Nancy wears a wine-colored pencil-skirt suit with a brown floral silk blouse and high heels. Her hair is salon-coiffed. Leo compliments the Coco Chanel fragrance and notices it. He is charming, gentle, and well-spoken. He wears a Mandarin-collar shirt with a crisply-pressed Mandarin collar and a warm smile. He listens attentively, providing the boyfriend experience, and tells her that she is empirically sexy. He tenderly kisses her lips after she asks him about his disappointment. But she’s anxious and wants to get it over with. She doesn’t want to chat a bit first, expressing doubts that they have much in common.
Nancy, despite her claims to be an organized woman, is inconsistent about following through with their plans. To the point where viewers might wonder if there will actually be any sex scenes, Nancy needs more than a sex partner. As their rendezvous unfolds, Leo becomes a friend, counselor, motivational coach, and companion.
Even as Leo carries on with his bit as dream lover, Nancy is intrigued by the secretive young man behind the façade and what he plans to do with his life. Although Leo sets boundaries to keep things professional she lets her curiosity and maybe maternal instincts take over and she starts looking into his personal life and relationships.
Although the film is long, Brand manages to keep viewers’ attention. Nancy’s story about how she used the essay question to her students is the only bit that seems a bit too long. “Should sex work be made legal?”for students in her ethics lessons. “Every year, 30 essays came back all exactly the same: ‘Although the moral issues remain up for debate, the legalization of sex work would ultimately provide protection for sex workers and help eradicate trafficking and abuse.’” It feels ever so slightly after-school-TV preachy, but Thompson sells the lines well.
Far from being a dowdy crone caricature, Thompson wears Nancy’s age with grace and dignity, delivering a brave and nuanced performance as the character works through all her anxieties and repressed desires for pleasure and intimacy. One of the scenes shows Nancy running into Becky (Isabella Laughland), a former student who is working as a waitress in a hotel restaurant. Nancy immediately changes her tone and transforms into the stereotypical scolding teacher. It’s fascinating to contemplate how we all perform in our assigned roles to various extents in our daily lives, and it’s thrilling to watch Thompson switching gears in a snap, adding even more layers of complexity.
Best known for Netflix’s “Peaky Blinders,” McCormack holds his own against Thompson’s showstopping portrayal,recalibrating moment to moment in accordance with Nancy’s every whim. The performance disarmingly conveys that his character is emulating a romantic leading man for work and that a sex worker’s interpretation of that role would naturally be unpolished compared with that of a trained actor.
The hotel room set partially recalls “The Father” “The Souvenir Part II,” simultaneously naturalistic and — one senses movie magic at work — not at all claustrophobic. It’s an intimately scaled film that still demands to be seen on the big screen; never once does it leave the impression that it would be best suited for a streaming platform. Hyde’s refined and attentive direction, Bryan Manson’s crystal clear cinematography, and Stephen Rennicks’ sparkling score have done wonders cultivating the sensual tone and texture.
“Good Luck to You, Leo Grande”The episode ends with Nancy and Leo sharing their real selves, and parting ways. They leave behind indelible impressions on one another, and an intense and moving meditation on disappointments, satisfaction, shame, and expectations.
“Good Luck to You, Leo Grande”The 2022 Sundance Film Festival will host its world premiere.