The problem with a lot of modern movies is that they tend to lose sight of the fact that good drama doesn’t always need spectacle. It can just be two people in a room at cross-purposes with each other. Or in the case of Don’t Make Me Go, it’s two people in a car together. The upcoming Amazon Prime Video original film stars John Cho as Max, the single father of a teenage daughter named Wally (Mia Isaac). Parenting Wally is hard enough, but Max also has to deal with the knowledge that he is terminally ill and he doesn’t have a lot of time left.
In the first trailer for Don’t Make Me Go, Max convinces his daughter to accompany him on a summer road trip with the promise of teaching her how to drive. Wally doesn’t initially realize that this is really a long goodbye, and Max’s last chance to spend time with her before facing a potentially fatal operation. Part of the tension comes from the way that Max hides the severity of his condition from his daughter. But this is one secret that he can’t keep forever.
While there are definitely dramatic moments in the trailer, there’s also a glimpse of some lighter scenes of Max and Wally enjoying karaoke and a father-daughter dance. Max wanted the chance to connect with Wally before he faces death, and he’s getting his wish. Unfortunately, it looks like it will break Wally’s heart when she learns that she may not have her father for much longer. Wally is also unaware that Max is attempting to reunite her with her mother, a woman who abandoned them both years before.
Kaya Scodelario also stars in the film as Annie, with Josh Thomson as Guy Connelly, Otis Dhanji as Glenn, Stefania LaVie Owen as Sandra, Mitchell Hope as Rusty, Jen Van Epps as Nicole, and Jemaine Clement as Dale Angelo.
Hannah Marks directed Don’t Let Me Go from a script by Vera Herbert. It will premiere on Amazon Prime Video on July 15.
