Remembrances of Dan

Bruce Von Stiers

Dan is an alcoholic. He can't stop drinking, even though his girlfriend Abby implores him too. In a fateful evening, Abby has it out with him. A little later that night there is a horrible car wreck and Dan dies. Years later, people who were close to Dan are still finding ways to cope with his death. That is the premise of the short drama film Let Dan Go.

Harry is Dan's father. He meets Abby in a park several years after Dan's death. This was a planned meeting, to talk about Dan and celebrate his life. But the memories are somewhat painful.

As the conversation unfolds, Harry talks about how life has been different without Dan. How Harry's marriage imploded and how the ex-wife now lives elsewhere. Harry is still trying to find ways to move forward in his life. And Abby has some of her own regrets. What could she have done to get Dan to stop drinking? What could she have done differently that fateful night that Dan died? But amid all her grief, Abby has found her own path to move forward in life.

Timothy J. Cox played Harry. He has over one hundred sixty acting credits, including films I've reviewed such as Static Cling, Good Luck to Me and Sundays With Dad. He also wrote the screenplay for Let Dan Go.

Ashlee Lawhorn played Abby. She voiced Poison Ivy for a Batman audio adaptation, has played a waitress and a barista in films and starred in a horror short film I reviewed titled Friends Forever. Ashlee is also a drummer, having played with numerous bands across the Midwest.

Daniel Griesheimer played Dan. He co-starred in My Name is George and Daylight to Dark.

The film was directed by Arielle Carroll. She was a camera operator for A Paralyzing Redemption and helped out on Good Luck To Me.

Jon Carroll was the cinematographer. He was the editor for Good Luk To Me.

The film was produced by Thomas Angeletti, Alex Johnson and Timothy J. Cox. Johnson was a producer for Sundays With Dad and Friends Forever. Angeletti is the head of Alysm Films, the production company for this film. He was also the producer for Hard Truths, Sundays With Dad and Good Luck To Me.

Songs used in the film were Suicide Note by The Sun Movers and Sword of the Stone by Josh Mack.

Films about alcohol addiction and alcoholics are plentiful. And there are even quite a few about the people who are affected by the actions of an alcoholic. But many of those films are harsh in nature. Let Dan Go is not one of those films. It takes a gentler approach to the grieving process and being able to move on with life. You can tell that Harry is still incredibly sad about Dan's death but is not morose. Abby is doing some wonderful things with her life, even though she still misses Dan. Cox and Lawhorn's performances were extremely well done and believable. Griesheimer also did a good job portraying Dan.

At this time, Let Dan Go is moving its way through the film festival circuit. The film will have a formal release date in the near future.

Back to the BVS Reviews Main Menu

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _

© 2026 Bruce E Von Stiers