Educational Media Reviews Online

This film is based on the award-winning book Project X: A Novel (2014) by Jim Shepard. Casting is appropriate having teenage actors play teenagers. Unfortunately, there already exists a couple of films titled Project X, resulting in this movie having a different title.

The story is about the ethos resulting from two 8th grade boys who feel ostracized and marginalized, told from the point of view of Wiley, a boy who has trouble even opening his locker. Endlessly picked on by classmates, Wiley and his only friend, Flake, struggle with boredom and criticism from just about everyone. Because they are always seen together, they’re called fags. The labeling is a tipping point, and is ironic because these two boys are oblivious to sex. The taunting was effective and offensive, just the same.

Flake’s father is on a gun kick and purchases three weapons, which intrigue Flake, who has no problem obtaining access to them. Flake gets the idea to get even with everyone by shooting up their school. Flake sells Wiley on the idea of joining him. Flake is convinced that the Columbine shooters didn’t plan well enough and attempts to remedy that deficiency. The entire movie leads up to the moment of carnage. Flake goes first, “…and then I go,” which lends the movie its title. Wiley: will he, or won’t he? The typical movie meme of guns representing male prowess doesn’t fit this movie—here the guns clearly represent power.

And Then I Go brings into focus the reason why schools have required active shooter training. Schools are now dangerous places. Years ago, disaffected students would write letters to the editor, poems, essays, or hold a protest demonstration. Today, they grab high-powered munitions and gun down people at random to get even. The movie makes it clear no one is safe in today’s educational environment. It caused this reviewer to head to the ssa.gov web site to see whether it is worth working more years or retire now to get away before an offended student goes off the deep end and trashes the place. We don’t get combat pay here.

Thanks to the recent carnage at Parkview, this movie’s release is all the more pertinent. It can be used to start a discussion of school gun violence. Topics include gun control, watching for signs of disaffection, the failures of schools and parents, who sometimes wind up making things worse instead of better. "It can just take a few wrong moves or hateful comments from the people around you for you to make a decision that will turn you into something entirely different." - Sawyer Barth, who plays Flake.

Awards

• New Hampshire Feature of the Year
• Rome International Film Festival
• USA Audience Award and Jury Award