Life Goes On -

The stakes couldn’t be higher for lead character James.  His personal life, identity and livelihood are all on the line, as he seeks to prove himself to those around him. 

Despite having a good education and solid work ethic drummed into him, 28 year-old James is struggling to make ends meet.  He is also struggling to retain motivation and focus, fighting constant rejection and confidence sapping humiliation as he pursues his lifelong ambitions of being a writer.   This is compounded by pressure from his parents to put his education to better use, while long-term girlfriend, Diane, wants him to move on and keep pace with her upwardly mobile lifestyle and plans for the future.  

To appease Diane and his parents and alleviate his poverty and dwindling pride, James secures a job as a Development Executive in the prestigious publishing house, The Life Corporation.  Despite the culture shock of a rat race existence he’d always avoided, James justifies the corporate transition as an alternative route for his dreams, reasoning that after five years of struggle he can better advance his ambitions from the inside. 

Initially, things go well, as James’ natural verve and intelligence sets him apart from traditional corporate culture.  Proactive and enthusiastic about making an impact, he catches the eye of enigmatic head honcho Delaney, who courts James to keep long term department head Brian, who is James’ immediate superior, on his sharp toes.  The machinations are just beginning and James is soon up to his neck in a game of boardroom cat and mouse, sometimes lavishly praised, sometimes ritually humiliated and reminded of The Facts Of Life.  Muddying the waters further is the fact that a part of James enjoys having some status, as well as money in his pocket, after years on the breadline and eroding self-belief.  Meanwhile, he has formed a close friendship with the one apparently sane person within the corporation, enigmatic marketing manager Natalie, which only adds to his growing state of confusion over his once strong sense of identity and purpose. 

Torn between still trying to pursue the creative dream and adapting to a comfortable corporate life, James’ personal life begins to mirror the corporate warfare, while he tries to figure out the difference between what he doesn’t want, what he thinks he wants and what he really wants from life. He couldn’t be further from the dream if he took a vacation to hell.  Worse than that, he’s in danger of turning into the kind of man he’s always detested – heartless, soulless, another duplicitous cog in the wheel.  The added pressures of family life and vagaries of fate conspire to put him in a corner, leaving a host of battles to do the right thing and regain control of his destiny.  How will he rediscover his heart and make some good decisions?  Can he reconcile the many elements fighting for his soul?  And what price is there in life to find the right inspiration and motivation?  This becomes equally true of Natalie and Diane – with contrasting outcomes - as well as James and his family.

Movie information

Cast

Merchandise

Related Articles

First stills from Life Goes On