Good Kisser

By: Krista Ann Freego

Two is a relationship. Three is a captivating drama. In Good Kisser two women who are in a relationship with each other decide to spend a wild weekend with a third woman. What happens next will change their relationships with each other forever. Everyone has a secret, but not every relationship will survive the night.

Good Kisser is a film written and directed by Wendy Jo Carlton, which follows the story of three women (Jenna, Kate and Mia) over the course of one night. Jenna (Kari Alison Hodge) is the loving, caring, kind, affectionate girlfriend of Kate (Rachel Paulson). Jenna and Kate have been together for almost two years and currently live with one another. The movie starts with Jenna and Kate getting in Yuka’s (Courtney McCullough) car. Yuka works for some sort of rideshare company and has answered the request of Jenna for a ride. Immediately the tone is set for this couple. Kate is overly critical of Jenna. Initially, it is for not mentioning when requesting the ride that she will need to stop at a liquor store and second for not having any gum. Jenna is overly apologetic and continues to go out of her way to make Kate happy. While they are stopped at the liquor store Yuka and Jenna stay in the car and comment on a dog that is tied up outside. According to Yuka, this dog is tied up there every day for hours at a time by its owner and, despite this constant abuse and neglect, as soon as the dog sees the owner all is forgotten. “A dog tied up outside forgets about how long it’s been tied up once their person comes back,” she states.  Throughout this movie Jenna is the dog tied up outside and Kate is the owner who tied her up and left her alone.

Jenna and Kate, now with wine and gum in hand, go forth to the final destination for the evening, Mia’s (Julia Eringer) house or the house she is currently staying at.  Mia is confident, sexy, kind, attentive and mysterious. If I had to compare her to another character from a different story it would have to be Helena from “The L Word.” She has the same air of sophistication, she doesn’t care what anyone else thinks about her and she doesn’t get nervous or apprehensive. Mia doesn’t equivocate. If she wants something she goes after it.

The majority of the movie is the three characters interacting with each other. When they arrive Kate already seems very familiar with her surroundings and is able to turn on music without any delay. Each character brings a unique energy to the room. Jenna is nervous and insecure and desperately looking to Kate for reassurance, attention and affection. Mia is just Mia. There does not appear to be any angles she is playing, she is just existing in this space in this moment and does not try to direct the night in one way or another. Mia is happy to just talk or dance or play a drinking game. Kate not only has an agenda, she has secrets. Kate clearly orchestrated this evening by getting her girlfriend Jenna to agree to have a threesome with someone that Kate knows and Jenna only knows of. At one point, Kate and Jenna are kissing in the kitchen and Kate tells Jenna she is a good kisser. Jenna asks if Mia is a good kisser and Kate hesitates briefly and then clearly lies saying that she doesn’t know because she hasn’t kissed her yet. Both the audience and Jenna know this is a lie. The audience knows it is a lie because almost every time Jenna leaves the room, Kate makes a move on Mia and they end up kissing. Jenna knows it because throughout the evening she has been trying to be affectionate with Kate, but the only times she has been successful is if Mia is not in the room. If Mia is in the room with Kate and Jenna, Kate’s attention is almost completely focused on Mia. Once again leaving her tied up, waiting alone for Kate to bestow on her some form of attention.

Jenna is very likeable and throughout the movie my heart broke for her over and over again. It was clear that Jenna loves Kate deeply, but what was not clear in this movie is why? Perhaps if we had seen memories of Kate and Jenna together before Kate fell in love with someone else then we could understand why Jenna is so determined to hold onto this relationship where her needs are clearly not being met. There are brief moments in the film where Kate shows some elements of care towards Jenna, but the times where she nitpicks her or just plain ignores occur far more often.

What I enjoyed most about this movie is that I could easily watch it three different times, each occasion focusing on a different character. Each time it would be like watching a different movie because I would be seeing the events of the film in the eyes of each character. This is a true testament to the actors and the director and writer. At all times, throughout the movie, the characters each maintained their distinct energy. This was an entertaining, engaging, enticing movie with at least two surprises that I did not see coming. The only short coming in the film is that the character of Kate, I feel, is the least developed of the roles. We don’t get to find out her interests or her passions. We don’t get to see or know why she fell in love with Mia while she was still with Jenna. We are not shown that it is because of a deep connection and are left to assume that is more so due to a physical attraction and lust for Mia. Had we known and understood more about her motivations (though those motivations would have to not be vain and shallow in nature) perhaps then we would want Jenna to fight harder to stay with her. Per chance we would root for her and Jenna or maybe we would feel some sympathy for Kate.

The movie did an excellent job of having the viewer root for Jenna and to fall for Mia, but the only place where it was lacking was the lack of development for the character of Kate. All of the acting was perfect and captivating but the film would have been enhanced even more by the audience being torn over Kate’s situation. The choice Kate makes at the end of the movie is not a surprise because of what is shown of her choices throughout the movie. If Kate had been more torn between her feelings for Jenna and her feelings for Mia, then there would be more drama and suspense at the end of the movie. I still very much so enjoyed Good Kisser and would see it again.