Review by Colin Credle

In Joshua Dysart’s Goodnight Paradise, down and out Eddie Quinones revels in his day-to-day alcoholic stupor on the streets of Venice Beach, California – a community that historically has resisted the incessant pull of gentrification for decades. This time it might be different. While dumpster diving for food, Eddie accidentally stumbles upon the corpse of a murdered homeless teenage girl buried in the trash. This disturbs his sense of well-being and for reasons he’s not too sure of, he starts investigating.

In some ways, this is a crime solving procedural from the point of view of a homeless drunk, but the story takes on more layers as we come to know Eddie better and also the community surrounding him. As a scruffy smelly wanderer, Eddie is invisible despite what he witnesses. If we are the sum of all our decisions, Eddie is confronted by his decisions whenever he bumps into someone who knows him. His estranged son Jeronimo wants to visit him, but Eddie’s not sure that’s such a good idea because if Jeronimo does visit him, Eddie’s decisions and current situation fall under discomforting scrutiny and judgement – is it better to remain invisible, numb and drunk or fight to be seen?

Eddie continues to battle his addiction and the undertow of his forgetfulness while solving the murder. Why was this defenceless, homeless girl tossed into a dumpster? Suspects include tweakers, meth heads, nouveau riche realtors gentrifying the community, tech-bros and clueless enforcers. Alberto Ponticelli’s art captures the gritty, grungy setting and characters as well as the almost suffocating ash of forest fires, filthy benches and trashed RVs. It’s not pretty, but Ponticelli illustrates Venice Beach as its own character – a fully present natural beauty who has seen better days.

This is a character driven journey on the backdrop of a murder mystery in a community hemmed in by the ocean and the natural beauty that attracts all sorts. When Eddie’s son does in fact visit, there is a particularly memorable exchange that stays with you. The solving of the crime cannot wait, but there are engaging stops along the way and characters are rich and multi-layered with gritty dialogue and backstories. Eddie means well, but we soon learn once again that the path to hell is paved with good intentions and good intentions often have little to do with our expected outcomes.