Johnathan Tropper’s One Last Thing Before I Go is an attempt to make you look at what’s important in life. The main character Silver is a washed up drummer of a one-hit wonder band. He’s made a mess out of his life by alienating his family of origin, abandoning his wife and daughter and not taking care of himself physically, emotionally or mentally.
The 18 year old daughter comes to Silver to tell him she’s pregnant and within days he experiences an aortic rupture which requires surgery. He refuses the surgery and thus the journey of “how much time do I have left and what do I want to do with my time” begins. He decides he wants to be a better man, be a better father, fall in love, die.
It seems simple enough, and maybe even noble in its simplicity. But it is not without its obstacles.
He connects with his daughter and reconnects with the ex-wife (much to the chagrin of her fiance). He starts a relationship with a new woman. Interspersed with the story, he remembers girls/women he’s had sex with along the way in life.
He feels something he’s become accustomed to lately, a dull, humming grief for all the things he can never get back.
At the end, he decides to get the surgery. But going under anesthesia is the last scene. Does he live or does he die? We can project the outcome depending on our own circumstances.
There is talk of turning this into a movie. I see one of the Wilson brothers playing the part.
