Tackling the concept of the world's final days is never easy, especially when it doesn't involved some sort of zombie apocalypse or an atomic bomb. Goodbye World attempts to create a realistic story that incorporates a technology breach, one that reveals just how reliant the world is on "being connected". And though the story is well thought out and fairly realistic, it is hindered by the fact that it refuses to resolve much of anything, instead opening up questions and proving that no matter how prepared you are for the end, human nature will always throw you a curve ball.
Featuring performances by Adrian Grenier, Gaby Hoffman, Ben McKenzie and Mark Webber, Goodbye World possesses the talent to really soar, and it does. But unfortunately, the film excels in its character development, steering its story to its group of friends and never really digging deep into the universal problem: the end of the world.
I will compliment Denis Hennelly on his ability to balance an unusually large number of key (and extremely complex) characters. While the cast is small, each plays a vital part in the overall story, moving it along as the film digs deep into each of their pasts, allowing the story to come full circle; ultimately permitting the audience to see that they aren't quite as innocent as we all originally thought.
As the film progresses, it shapes to form a different story than I had imagined. Resolutions are either solved quickly or not at all, and the inter-relationship struggles amongst the group take center stage early on, never fully letting up to the big dilemma that stares them all in the face. I was frustrated with the lack of outside influence, and while the cast delivers throughout, there was never a break from their existence to see just how life was away from their private getaway. I fully realize that the unknown was meant to create as much anxiety with the audience as it did with the characters, but without a reference point, it was mainly lost amongst the shuffle and in passing.
That all being said, the cinematography was near flawless, and the film rarely showed its budget. It keenly kept its locations to a minimum, and though its lack of movement does create a slight lull in the storyline, it works. And while the final product wasn't quite what I was expecting, I can't complain about the end result. Goodbye World is a well crafted character study, set to the backdrop of a terrorist attack. It likely won't appeal to everyone, but for those who appreciate a solid independent feature, it should entertain--and isn't that why we go to the movies in the first place?
