In today’s film industry, films that have little to no social commentary are unusual. It seems we have forgotten films can be a form of entertainment without addressing a certain issue. Sometimes, that is the actual reason why we go to the movies or even decide to watch a movie Friday night. Call me old-fashioned, but sometimes I like to sit back and relax and have a laugh. 

Nicola Rose’s Goodbye Petrushka is a very simple film about following intuition and breaking down barriers. In the center, a very innocent girl has had a dream for some time. When she gets the chance to make this come true, she doesn’t hesitate and pushes towards that. It’s the obstacles on the way that make her story a worthy one. And also a very interesting take on a culture clash that’s cinematic. Just don’t ask so many questions.

Seriously, Goodbye Petrushka is a series of vignettes that together compose a “coming of age” film about Claire making a decision to move to Paris. Not much thought is given to her current circumstance. This is a comedy and some aspects are better left untouched. On the other hand, it’s Claire’s tumultuous journey that makes for the essence of the film. 

Not to say it’s a cookie-cutter version of a romantic comedy where “girl travels abroad and meets the love of her life”. Rose decides otherwise and injects much personality to Claire as a woman who decides to turn her life around without much fanfare. Her surroundings are insanely full of clichés (some of them quite funny), but it’s what makes Goodbye Petrushka different which allows us to stay until the end. 

Lizzie Kehoe plays Claire with the necessary confidence to make us trust her silly innocent-like approach. Behind that golden smile there are lots of questions and she gets to ask them. This is how Goodbye Petrushka goes from silly to logical, whenever Rose decides to land her own film and make it more about identity than unrealistic considerations.

Part of this rebel turnaround includes the exploration of culture as an enemy at first. Sometimes Claire wins over, and sometimes she’s an ultimate victim of something she doesn’t understand. In the end, it isn’t relevant. But you can’t say those children from hell don’t deserve something more than cursing… 

Goodbye Petrushka isn’t a romantic comedy that follows the formula. It’s an indie comedy that stays within the boundaries of a lineal story that doesn’t call for much garnishing. Not even using Paris as a scenario. This is a Claire show and that’s more universal than anything you can imagine. 

Now, did you notice above when I said I just wanted to “sit back and relax and have a laugh”? That didn’t mean I’m celebrating dumb movies. And there can be actual silly plots that don’t look down on the audience. Goodbye Petrushka is one of those rare occasions where not much is needed to digest a simple story and you can actually laugh and celebrate innocence in the most unusual of places. And eras.