We Go On centers around Miles Grissom (played by Clark Freeman, of TV’s NCIS: New Orleans and horror oddity YellowBrickRoad) and his determination to find out if there is life after death. As an adult, Miles is plagued by the tragic death of his father, his overbearing mother, and a life ruled by numerous phobias and the consequences of a perpetually lonely existence. Miles places an ad in the newspaper, offering $30,000 to the person who can provide definitive proof, but after bearing witness, he realizes that his questions come with a price tag.
We Go On is a fantastic film that really dives into the bigger questions we have about life and death. Humans throughout history have questioned what happens after we die and some even go to extreme lengths to find out, but We Go On brings us a different perspective on this issue. Miles is determined to find proof in order to live the life he has always wanted, trading it for the meaningless existence he has now. The movie provides an interesting take on finding answers, since Miles wants to find meaning and to know that there is something after death so he can live his life to the fullest.
As the story progresses, it becomes clear that this is Miles’ last stand, via a sort of premature midlife crisis, where he has a lot banking on the fact that the afterlife must be real. As false claims cycle through the film, the audience also gains sympathy for Miles when we meet his overbearing, and sometimes insufferable mother, Charlotte (played by Annette O’Toole, Smallville, 11.22.63). It gradually becomes obvious that her helicopter parenting, over her adult son–by randomly showing up despite the fact he doesn’t want her to and driving him around everywhere–isn’t helping Miles at all. She scolds him like a child, but bears her teeth to anyone who might hurt him, so they certainly have a strange dynamic.
Despite previously mentioned character flaws Charlotte, alongside Miles, develops nicely throughout the film. Her character has some deep moments as Miles’ journey becomes more intense and you actually gain sympathy for her rationale along the way, too. Up until the climax, We Go On centers on these two and what they think of the afterlife and their own personal journeys.
Their in-depth discussions also allow the audience to think about their positions on same, which is really engaging amidst the small jump scares dropped in here and there. However, the slow build is well worth the wait as Miles suddenly goes from knowing nothing, to knowing too much. The suspense built up in the third act is breathtaking, and, following a late reveal, We Go On becomes an entirely different movie than one would guess from its first hour or so.
In fact, my only complaint was there was one relationship that I wish We Go On would have explored more. There are two characters that enter the film in the third act, Nelson and Alice. They enter Miles’ life and become a central aspect of it, but the relationship between Nelson and Alice was just a little too vague for my taste. Sure, we get the main points and the emphasis of why they are important hits home, but it would have been nice to just explore them a little more.
Overall, though, We Go On is a fantastic movie. The plot is well considered, the characters are deep, and it is all around a well-crafted story. I have no reminiscing questions about the satisfying ending and although there were some cheap jump scares in the beginning, the rest of the horror comes from the reality of the situation. We Go On also makes us, the viewers, question our thoughts on the afterlife and if we indeed got our questions answered, would we be satisfied?
Catch We Go On on Shudder from February 23rd 2017
WICKED RATING: 8/10
Director(s): Jesse Holland, Andy Mitton
Writer(s): Jesse Holland, Andy Mitton
Stars: David Bickford, Justin Carpenter, Annette O’Toole
Studio/ Production Co: Filmed Imagination
Release date: February 23rd, 2017
Language: English
Length: 89 min
