[This story contains major spoilers from Don’t Make Me Go.]
Inside don’t force meTeenage protagonist and young storyteller Wally, played by rising star Mia Isaacs, is starting to wonder if his father won’t be around forever when the unthinkable happens.
The bittersweet travel movie sees John Cho’s Max taking his daughter to a class reunion under the guise of friends. But unbeknownst to Wally, they actually go in hopes that his father will see his ex and Wally’s mother, who has abandoned them both. Max is diagnosed with a terminal condition that requires surgery, which in itself has a dubious survival rate, and he hopes his mother will be the one to take care of his son when he is gone.
Max maintained his condition and his plans to forgo treatment and use the last year to prepare for a life without him, a secret from his daughter. But when he exposes Wally after a harrowing conversation with his mother, the young man’s initial reaction turns into a heated confrontation and a (small) close call, before they end up closer than ever.
But the moment Wally sees his father sing karaoke under the hot lights of a bar, their relationship takes a turn neither of them expected, ending with Wally’s death. Vera Herbert’s screenplay and Cho and Isaac’s performances convey a clear honesty, attitude and love between single parents and their children, contributing to the film’s painful twist: that, like his father, Wally has an illness (unknown and untreated). ) that afflicts you. . Life is suddenly so hard to see.
Isaac knew of his character’s death even before he was cast in the film, and director Hannah Marks accidentally read the young actor’s entire script during her Zoom audition. But, says Isaac, he didn’t know exactly where the teenager’s death was in the story. “I had an idea of what the ending would be like,” says the actor. “But when I read the karaoke scene, I didn’t expect it to happen. This one scene, so I immediately worried about myself.”
Cho says it was a punch to the stomach when he first read that scene. “I didn’t know that when I read the script, and then I had a Keyser Söze moment where I was tracking back and forth and trying to piece it all together,” he says.
Marks admits that this moment is a “slow realization” with hints and “small seeds planted” throughout the film. This includes how the team visually conveys Wally’s symptoms. “Many of her illnesses look like normal teenage anxiety or panic attacks, but are actually symptoms of something physically wrong with her,” says Marks.
The director says he and cinematographer Jaron Pressant had a custom filter that he would “stick to a piece of glass” and use when Wally or Max had a headache or dizziness. “These little visual cues culminate at the end of the karaoke, when many images of their faces are superimposed and the filters come to life,” he added.
Wally’s death is a delicate scene that serves as a moment of revelation and loss, giving Max hope. In an already emotional film, it helped highlight the importance of the film’s larger message and the literal and metaphorical mile-long journey that father and son took together.
“Max spends the entire movie trying to protect Wally and trying to do everything he can to make sure he’s okay when he dies. So he has this idea in his head that he will be able to protect her from life,” says Isaac. “I think the main message of the story is that you can’t always protect your kids from everything. Sometimes all you can do is live with them and try to guide them through the things they are going through and learn from them. “
Marks calls it “a very beautiful last moment between them”.
“Max finally listens to Wally and learns from him. He says to go there, take risks, have confidence and express yourself”, says the director. THR. “This is the moment where she finally sees him as a whole person with a past and a history, not just her father. They really see each other that way and learn from each other.”
It’s a powerful scene that underscores what gives the rest of the film its charm: its vulnerability and humor. Moments before his death, Wally watches his father get torn apart on a karaoke stage. Marks happily says that he’s taken karaoke seriously, ignoring Cho’s stance that it shouldn’t be good because it’s karaoke. “I’m surprised you thought it might not be good because you’re talented,” he says.
Isaac said he admired Cho’s singing and “watched it all the time”. For the actress, who describes herself as “the karaoke nation’s desire” and a determined singer, it was probably most painful for anyone who had to watch her film. “We pre-recorded the song, but there was no crowd music and no crowd drinks that day,” says Cho, laughing. “And I had to do that a lot, so it wasn’t as fun as regular karaoke, but I never regretted singing.”
This pre-reveal warning humor and banter isn’t just there to catch audiences off guard before the movie even starts shooting. In the end, what matters is how Wally and Max’s love changed them both. “It’s a small but important symbolic moment of willingly surrendering to your daughter and her desires, letting go of your ego and pride,” says Cho. “It’s a moment of risk that his daughter gave him for being vulnerable and it’s the last lesson he has to learn.”
“I honestly think it’s so beautiful and beautiful that the last thing Wally sees is his dad smiling at him,” adds Marks. “It’s really very important to me. May your last moment together be one of joy.
don’t force me Streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Emily Jhon is a product and service reviewer at Gossipify, known for her honest evaluations and thorough analysis. With a background in marketing and consumer research, she offers valuable insights to readers. She has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Marketing and Consumer Research from the University of Oxford.
