The Good Student

[StevePulaski]

The Good Student (2006)
Directed by: David Ostry

Hayden Panettiere.

Rating: ★★★

Scarcely does a low-budget film outside of the horror genre wind up being benefited by the cheap and shabby look of its menial budget but The Good Student finds a way to conjure up suspense by way of its inexpensive aesthetics. The film's premise - a mystery involving the disappearance of a local high school beauty with her history teacher as the prime suspect despite plausible leads turning up literally with each passing scene - is nicely paced with just a seventy-seven minute runtime, and the noticeably small budget allows for subtly instances of dim-lighting, film grain, and overall frugality to play a major role in creating mood and tone for the film.

The student is Ally Palmer (Hayden Panettiere), one of the prettiest students in school, who is also known for starring in television commercials for her father's (William Sadler) car dealership. Her history teacher is Mr. Ronald Gibb (Tim Daly), a man obsessed with the dualities of historical figures and major events in history, who also lives alone in a small trailer park. He recognizes that his students don't take him nor the material half as seriously as he does and he spends most of his days quietly fantasizing about Ally, even going as far as to rent a pornographic film from the local video store.

One day, when Ally is dumped by her boyfriend, Mr. Gibb offers her a ride home, where, just before getting out of the car, she gives him a kiss as a thanks for an unexpected A on an assignment. The next day, she's nowhere to be found and Mr. Gibb is the last person to be seen with her. Her father is furious and demands answers, even as he goes on to slash prices at his dealership in efforts to try and bank off of the tragic situation with his daughter, all while Mr. Gibb tries to prove his innocence, even as a photograph of him and Ally kissing makes its way around school thanks to another student.

The film follows this random assortment of characters, including some even smaller, lesser side characters, positioning each one of them as potential culprits or perpetrators of Ally's kidnapping. Writer Adam Targum and director David Ostry work to make this mystery one that isn't easily solved without a few second guesses, making for a B-level mystery that, at the very least, keeps one guessing and doesn't settle for easy conclusions. It also helps that Daly's Mr. Gibb is such an interesting character, brimful with knowledge and perspectives that he often stops to share with the audience via narration.

Probably the weakest thing about The Good Student is the way it's positioned. The film markets itself via its DVD cover as if this is a Graduate/scandal movie when it's more of a mystery with some seriously racy elements and ideas thrown into the mix. It goes further than one expects and doesn't settle, which, given its genre and how low the bar is often set for these particular films, give The Good Student some credit for recognizing the typical pitfalls of the genre and extending itself a bit further as a result.

Starring: Tim Daly, Hayden Panettiere, and William Sadler. Directed by: David Ostry.