Lorelai's on her way to being a big star. She performs shows on a weekly basis, orchestrating her own schedule as well as her fellow ensemble pieces. When she receives a call one night during a performance, she rushes to the hospital: her dad, Nate, has had a heart attack and is now in a coma. Her mom, Jessica, is there. Unable to decide whether to take him off life support or wait for a miracle to occur. Their doctor, Dr. Ambrazia, encourages them to consider entering virtual reality in a new medical procedure that is being tested.
Lorelai eventually consents and enters an Old West themed virtual space. Her dad raised her on Westerns even though she's annoyed by them; she considers cowboys as usually sexist and racist. However, Dr. Ambrazia recommends a familiar and relaxing space for Nate. As Lorelai sucks up becoming a fast gun in the West, she becomes intrigued with this setting that allows her to recreate memories from her past in the virtual West with Nate. Eventually, Lorelai will become stuck in this VR landscape and have to figure out how to navigate back to the real world...
This is a family drama at its core, reflecting on times of loss in life. We all undergo hardships, and this movie works through those universal emotions and actions surrounding death. We never get over anything; we only get through it. GOLD MINE is an entertaining sci-fi mystery that functions as a family drama as well as a genre-fueled hit.
