Good Dick

Writer, director and lead actress in her first feature film, Marianna Palka won the hearts of Sundance audiences this year with her deadpan comedy Good Dick. The film, candid in its tone, examines the relationship between love and sex in our desensitized society.

Good Dick follows the grueling courtship of two anonymous twenty-somethings (Jason Ritter and Marianna Palka), both haunted by abusive pasts. Ritter's character takes an immediate interest in the shameless vulgarity of Palka's character when he happens upon her perusing the erotica section of the run-down video store he calls home.

From that moment on, Ritter's character forces his way into Palka's heart, refusing to heed her menacing threats in hopes of eventually uncovering the girl beneath the gritty exterior. Ritter's touching portrayal of masculine maternity seals his place alongside his triple threat co-star, unearthing the tender side of the much frowned-upon art of stalking.

While Palka's performance is at once crass and undeniably enchanting, her character undergoes a stunning metamorphosis from fast-food guzzling cave monster to a free and fragile beauty. In today's numb world, Palka's offbeat love story serves to remind us that Good Dick can be great, but a great friend is invaluable.