Every now and then, a movie comes along with an ending that stays with you long after the credits finish rolling. A movie with an ending so emotional, jarring, and impactful that it leaves you thinking about the fates of the fictional characters days, months, or even years later. Don’t Make Me Go is a beautiful exploration of the father-daughter relationship and the importance of making time for those we love while we still can. To say it has an ending that will stay with you is an understatement.

Premise

After he’s diagnosed with a terminal illness, Max Park (John Cho) decides to take his teenage daughter, Wally Park (Mia Isaac), on a road trip to his college reunion and wants to  experience as much time with her as possible before his succumbs to his illness. Wally is less than thrilled to be leaving her boyfriend and friends behind for a week to spend time crammed in a car with her dad, but is convinced once Max informs her he will use the trip to fulfill his long standing promise of giving her driving lessons.

What ensues is familial and teenage hijinks that includes an impromptu visit to a casino, Wally sneaking out to watch a meteor shower with local teens, and the two of them dropping by the home of Max’s ex-wife and Wally’s absent mother.

The Characters

John Cho and Mia Isaacs bring so much heart, depth, and empathy to their respective roles as Max and Wally. Max doesn’t immediately tell Wally about his illness, and there are so many moments during which she references something coming up in her future, and you see him absolutely crumble on the inside.  Cho’s ability to convey sadness, regret, and frustration all in one look is astounding. Although he doesn’t like to show it, Max is vulnerable and finding out about his illness makes him even more vulnerable. John brings so much heart, sympathy, and seriousness to the role that you can’t help but root for him to connect with his daughter.

Isaacs is such a beautiful and talented young actress. We’re going to look back on this movie years from now, and remember this being the first time we watched the Mia Isaacs on screen. She portrays her character with the perfect combination of youthful rebelliousness and extreme insecurity that is hiding just beneath the surface.

Whether you’re watching Wally tease her father about his past life as a musician, send messages her boyfriend about the status of their relationship, or waiting with bated breath to see if her long absent mother would like to meet her, Isaacs brings a vulnerability to Wally that makes you want to protect her. You genuinely want to see this young lady get everything she wants out of life.

Although she isn’t in the movie long, Jen Van Epps as Nicole will absolutely astound viewers. She’s understandably shocked when her ex-husband and teenage daughter show up to her house. Nicole has struggled over the years and is trying to get her life on track. The mix of emotions she experiences when Max and Wally show up: irritation, regret,  fear, etc. are conveyed so well through Van Epps facial expressions and nervous gestures. Her scene really stood out to me and the movie benefited from her inclusion and talents as an actress.

Overall Thoughts

Don’t Make Me Go opens with a character forebodingly stating “You’re not going to like how this story ends.”

I finished this movie wishing I’d taken that statement seriously. I’m not going to lie, the ending destroyed me. The film pulls a gut-wrenching bait and switch that seemingly comes out of nowhere, but in all actuality, is carefully and quietly being established the background of the film. You don’t know that there’s something very important you should be paying attention to until it’s too late and tragedy has struck.

I pride myself as a movie viewer, and a critic, on my ability to figure out plot twist before they happen, but this one I didn’t see coming. I don’t know how, but I didn’t see. If you’re looking for a moving family drama  that will leave an emotional impact and have you thinking about the characters long after the movie is finished, you definitely want to check out Don’t Make Me Go. 

Don’t Make Me Go is now streaming on Amazon Prime.