Mass (2021)

 This was a tough film to watch but it presented us with three of the best acting performances I've ever seen.

It's been six years since the shooting, and with the necessary waivers signed and in place, the parents are finally meeting with each other, without the lawyers or filters present. Jay (Jason Isaacs) and Gail (Martha Plimpton) remain mourning their son while Jay is also an activist, trying to change the world so this doesn't happen again and Gail wants her son's life to have mattered. Richard (Reed Birney) and Linda (Ann Dowd) aren't together anymore, and both are still somewhat in denial, though they know they've both made plenty of mistakes. Not telling the school about the pipe bomb was one of them, for sure, believing that any friends are better than no friends, is another, especially when one has access to weapons. 

While the couples start out at being overly polite to each other, the anger and feelings come out, in the most realistic and subtle ways and we learn how deeply troubled Hayden (the murderer) was and was good at manipulating his parents so they'd back off their attempts at getting him therapy. On the other hand, we don't learn much about Evan (one of the victims), other than he was struggling to survive and Hayden had to stop by that room again and finish him off. Evan seemed to be just a typical teenager, normal but not someone who knew Hayden as Hayden's victims weren't targeted (I don't know if that is better or worse). 

In end, somehow, Gail manages the impossible, forgiveness while Linda doesn't regret having him and Richard, the coldest, most unfeeling of the characters, someone who would be so stringent that he'd plan out his life to only include one child, something that he actually admits in public, which is just so shocking, says chillingly, "The world mourned 10, we mourned 11," and the stigma that happened when he had to beg a church to bury Hayden. Hayden was also a victim, but not in the same way as the others. Rather, he is a victim of the poor mental health care system our country has and how uncommunicative the protocols are, not telling one hand what the other is doing. This was a tragedy which could have been prevented. 

Despite the minimalistic set, the performances manage to fill up the room, and you learn that while there were so many warning signs, the parents were also just blinded by their love (or guilt) they had for their son that they wanted to believe that he was capable of being the child of their dreams, while Evan was cruelly denied that opportunity. This will haunt you for some time to come. Grade: A-

Side Notes:

-It's true, no amount of money will bring Evan back which is why his parents opted not to sue.

-The lawsuits must have stripped Richard and Linda dry.

-Judy (Breeda Wool), the church manager is far too perky and desperate to accommodate the couples. 

-Though the film takes place mostly in a church, religion is rarely mentioned.