Every year, there are a handful of movies that come out and focus on serious topics that hit hard when you consider the real world. In 2021, there were actually two films that hit on similar subjects and both were unjustly underrated despite hitting incredibly hard.
One of those is the severely overlooked film The Fallout, which features a great Jenna Ortega performance. It deals with the aftermath of a school shooting and how it impacts the students who survived. Meanwhile, Mass, also centers on what happens after a school shooting but focuses on a different kind of survivors.
Mass Is A Hard Hitting Drama About A Serious Topic
Mass tells the story of four parents who get together following a tragic school shooting. The first pair of parents, Jay and Gail Perry, are grieving the death of their son, who was a victim of the shooting. The other pair, Linda and Richard, are the parents of the shooter, who took his own life afterward.
That immediately sets the stage for something truly gripping. You put yourself in the shoes of both sides, wondering how you’d handle such a situation. The entire movie takes place at this meeting, meaning it’s wall-to-wall emotion, hard conversations to have, and heavy emotion.
Fran Kranz’s film also lets you know that the parents attempted to meet years prior (this takes place six years after the shooting) and hurtful comments were made. This is a more civil meeting but it’s just as brutal and hard-hitting. Mass is the kind of movie that really shines a light on school shootings.
Mass Was Criminally Overlooked During Awards Season
Mass was met with widespread acclaim after it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and when it received its wider release. The movie sits at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the actors getting a ton of praise, as did Kranz, who wrote and directed the project.
Despite those strong critical reviews, Mass wasn’t mentioned much when it came time for awards season. It was completely shut out at the Academy Awards and Golden Globe Awards. It did receive several nods and wins across smaller shows from the Saturn Awards to the Independent Spirit Awards.
The biggest accolades the film was up for went to Ann Dowd, who plays Linda. She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at both the Critics’ Choice Awards and the BAFTAs.
However, arguments could be made for Franz getting nominated for writing or for the other cast members in acting categories. Jason Isaacs, Martha Plimpton, and Redd Birney are all phenomenal and deserve more acclaim. Mass is a must-see movie, especially given the current state of the world.
- Release Date
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October 8, 2021
- Runtime
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111 minutes
- Director
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Fran Kranz
- Writers
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Fran Kranz
