[usr 2]
Devastated by his daughter’s death in a terrible accident, Ben becomes convinced that he can bring her back through a recurring dream. But is it just a dream? Or is Ben losing his mind?
Is it reality? Or just a dream?
This theme of having difficulties differentiating between the two has been a staple in psychological thrillers since the term “psychological thriller” was coined. Akin to writers avoiding the use of vague words like “nice” or “very,” filmmakers tend to side-step dream sequences, due to their predictable, bland, worn-out nature – unless, of course, the entire film revolves around the concept of “alternate/dream reality” (see: “The Cell,” “Inception,” “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” etc.). Otherwise, the whole “it was all just a dream” twist is simply not effective, no matter how “differently” one approaches it.
Writer/Director David Gleeson (no relation to Domhnall or Brendan, apart from the Irish heritage) bravely disregards the deluge of “dream logic” films with “Don’t Go,” his latest sap-fest under the guise of a thriller. In fact, Gleeson gleefully delves head-first into exploring the aforementioned antiquated thematic elements from Scene One, wherein our character, writer Ben (Stephen Dorff), finds himself – you guessed it – dreaming. “Seize the day,” is the dry whisper he hears on a damp Dublin beach, prompting him to spread his arms in front of a dark, eternal ocean – just to wake up to a grim reality: it’s the funeral of his daughter.
Six months dutifully pass, giving Ben some off-screen time to brood. We revisit him and his wife Hazel (Melissa George), relocating to yet another mansion by the beach (clearly, money isn’t one of the problems for those white people). Now a teacher, Ben sorts through his books and finds them – gasp! – randomly placed on top of one another so that their titles spell out “seas the day.” Wait – if you think that’s astonishing, how about the shocking moment when Ben sees the same phrase etched out in the sand a few moments later? (“Seas” remains (purposefully) misspelled – either ghosts aren’t known for their grammar or they are really cheeky).
Is it reality? Or just a dream?
Unless you’ve never seen a movie, you may guess that from this point on, Ben sees that message everywhere: typed on computer screens, scrawled in crossword puzzles, chalked on blackboards, etc. He befriends a priest, Father Sean (Simon Delaney), who drinks and curses and serves no other discernible purpose. Ben is also having the same reoccurring dream, which he believes may not be a dream at all. According to Donnie Da…sorry, Ben, it may be… TIME TRAVEL! One night, an attractive drunk woman, Serena (Aoibhinn McGinnity), stumbles into their house… How she ties into it all, I will let you discover.
As you can probably tell by now, Gleeson’s film is full of surprises. “Don’t Go” takes a long time to get going, and when it does, it’s at a standstill. Complemented by a series of Lifetime musical cues of varying intensity telling us how to feel, as well as not-so-subtly spiritual undertones (e.g. celestial light pouring through mosaic windows as the Slaters flick through an old family album), it’s all deathly dull. Sure, the location is beautiful, but Gleeson doesn’t really take advantage of it. You can’t blame him for a lack of earnestness either, but being solemn only takes you so far. Not a moment in this film resonates on any level. It’s not frightening enough to qualify as a thriller, nor poignant or artful enough to be an effectively trippy drama.
Dorff slumps around looking like a hungover Jack Nicholson (he even hammers his way through a door at one point, Jack Torrance-style), mumbling his lines in a droning monotone. Here’s a conversation Dorff is most likely used to having in real life: “Are you supposed to be famous?” a student asks Ben at one point. “Google me,” he responds, “if you haven’t yet.” Melissa George, while at least talented and beautiful, doesn’t fare much better with a clichéd part. She does her best with terrible lines. “Cut the tortured writer crap,” Hazel says. “I know you’re complex.” Apart from being unintentionally funny, it’s also not true – Ben (and by extension, Dorff) looks like he’s been through seven gates of alcoholism hell, nothing about him resembling anything remotely “complex.”
Ben is the author of a book called ‘The Reality Delusion’ (go figure); I bet he would use the term “very nice” to describe this film. You’d be better off building a sandcastle – it’s likely to last longer in the tide than “Don’t Go” will in your memory.
In theaters Friday, October 26th
