Good With Faces review – mesmerising power struggle will have you sitting uncomfortably

Summerhall, Edinburgh
Every comment sparks suspicion in Oisín Kearney’s bold play about a meeting between a mother and a social worker

If you book a seat for Good With Faces you might only use the edge of it. This is a hugely assured psychological thriller, performed with just the right precision and edge. It is written and directed by Oisín Kearney, whose collaborations with Michael Patrick included the 2018 fringe hit My Left Nut, which transferred to TV – this could easily do the same.

I’d advise watching it without knowing anything else first. The two-hander opens with social worker Hegarty (Patrick McBrearty) training his video camera on newly single mother Garrick (Clodagh Mooney Duggan) in her hastily tidied living room, with children’s toys swept under the sofa. Garrick’s son has a bruise, which has led to this referral. It’s a matter of procedure, a discussion “for internal use”, Hegarty assures her, in an opening exchange where every comment sparks suspicion and even the correct pronunciation of bourbon biscuit is scrutinised.

At Summerhall, Edinburgh, until 31 August

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