| Good Boy | |
|---|---|
| Film poster | |
| Directed by | Jan Komasa |
| Written by |
|
| Produced by | |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Michał Dymek |
| Music by | Abel Korzeniowski |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by | Signature Entertainment |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 110 minutes [1] |
| Countries |
|
| Language | English |
Good Boy (also known as Heel) [2] is a 2025 black comedy thriller film directed by Jan Komasa. It stars Stephen Graham, Andrea Riseborough, Anson Boon, Kit Rakusen. It tells the story of a married couple who abduct a 19-year-old criminal and try various methods to rehabilitate him. The film had its world premiere at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival on 5 September 2025.
A 19-year-old criminal named Tommy is kidnapped and forced into rehabilitation at the hands of a married couple.
Producer Jerzy Skolimowski approached director Jan Komasa with the film's screenplay while the latter was promoting his 2019 film, Corpus Christi . The screenplay, originally written in Polish and set in Warsaw, was adapted into English and set in Yorkshire to appeal to a wider audience. It is Komasa's first English-language film. [3]
Principal photography took place in Yorkshire and Warsaw, and was completed in October 2024. [4] [5]
A promotional clip was released on 3 September 2025. [6] The film had its world premiere in the Centerpiece section of the 50th Toronto International Film Festival on 5 September 2025. [3] [7] It was also screened at the BFI London Film Festival and the Rome Film Festival. [8] [9]
The film will be released by Kino Świat in Poland. In November 2025, it was acquired for distribution by Magnolia Pictures in the United States; Signature in the United Kingdom and Ireland; X Verleih in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland; Minerva Pictures in Italy; YouPlanet/Caramel Films in Spain; Sundae in Japan; 18k Films in the Benelux; Front Row Films in the Middle East; Pris Audiovisuais in Portugal; Shaw Organisation in Singapore; Beta Film in Bulgaria; The Film Group in Greece; Catchplay in Taiwan; and Bir Film in Turkey. [10]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 94% of 18 critics' reviews are positive. [11]
Damon Wise of Deadline wrote, "Like an early Yorgos Lanthimos, the strangeness of the premise does a lot of heavy lifting, but the performers literally bring character to what might easily have been a one-note movie." [12]