Don’t Make Me Go

Actress, writer, and director Hannah Marks returns with her latest relationship drama film – Don’t Make Me Go; that will leave you completely speechless and scratching your head, asking yourself – WHAT THE HELL?

Don’t Make Me Go was released initially on the 13th of June 2022 in the US by distributor Amazon Studios, featuring a small yet talented cast such as John Cho, Mia Isaac, Kaya Scodelario, and cinematography by Jaron Presant.

We follow the characters of Max Park played by John Cho, a single father raising a young teenage daughter named Wally Park played by Mia Isaac.

On his regular check-ups with his doctor, Max discovers that he is terminally ill with a disease that has given him a limited amount of time left to live.

On this note, Max changes all his priorities in life at that one moment and together with his daughter embarks on a road trip across the US to meet his ex-wife at their 20th reunion so that their daughter can have someone to depend on when he passes.

Max plans to teach his daughter all the things that he wants her to know in a year such as teaching her how to drive, what kind of guy she should love and how to dance for her wedding day, all without whilst keeping the secret to himself.

The brilliance of this movie is in the incredible acting and emotions that each character relays to the audience with accurate perfection and realism to a fault.

I’ve always imagined being a father one day to a daughter and to put it bluntly, Don’t Make Me Go gave me anxiety.

Even though it’s acting, the relationship between John Cho and newcomer Mia Isaac comes off as genuinely real, you can tell the frustration, hardship, and dedication it takes to be a single father to a teenage daughter who’s reached that age of adolescence.

John Cho’s acting is brilliant and such a character has grown on me since getting to see him play a similar role in “Searching” which was released in 2018.

He’s a caring, thoughtful father that has put the life and care of his daughter above anything else, though at times seems apprehensive about the future, he still has a huge heart that is seeking love once more.

One could say this is based on a true story, especially with how everything plays out, the film is beautifully written by Vera Herbert to exhibit the tortuous relationship between father and daughter.

Whilst, on the other hand, Wally is a young girl that’s coming of age, and of course, coming along with that is being a little rebellious, stubborn, and headstrong.

She’s testing her limits with her father during arguments, with some moments thinking she knows more than her father and shouldn’t be told what to do, and this very element is what gives me anxiety lol…

I never got tired of watching this movie as it translates so much mystery of parenthood and the beauty of life within itself and its characters.

One last thing I have to give credit for is the amazing choice in music during the movie, I wouldn’t mind listening to the entire soundtrack chosen during this film whilst chilling in the car somewhere.

Overall, Don’t Make Me Go is a beautiful tale of a dying father trying to give his daughter the best chances of life that she’ll need to survive when his gone but instead, it’s the daughter that’s giving life back to her father that’s forgotten what it is to live.

Stunning and yet heartbreaking.

I’ll give it a 7 near 8 out of 10.

Let me know what you loved about Don’t Make Me Go by Hannah Marks in the comments section below.

Thanks for reading…