direction: Fran Kranz | Scenario: Fran Kranz | spit: Jason Isaac (Jay), Martha Plimpton (Gill), Ann Dodd (Linda), Red Bernie (Richard), Breda Wall (Judy), Cagan Albright (Anthony), Michelle N. Carter (Kendra), ao | game time: 111 minutes | year: 2021
With so many shootings in the US, debate about it has exploded both in the US and the rest of the Western world. The problem is not new; About ten years ago, Lynne Ramsey created a study on the “school shooter” character with her movie We need to talk about Kevin† Mass Focuses more on its consequences, as the victim’s parents enter into a dialogue with the perpetrator’s parents.
Movies that rely entirely on dialogue are risky because they require a lot of attention from the viewer. in dialogue Mass He knows how to make a good sketch of the shooting and the lead-up and after-shoot. Partly because of the excellent acting of the four protagonists, the most important scenes are hot and touching. However, the film continues in rhythms, which means there are constant emotional highs with bits of calm in between.
Feel this constant stream of small peak Mass Too long. The dialogue always goes in circles, with each time a different character has an emotional explosion. On the other hand, every actor gets his chance to deliver a crazy monologue and intense acting performance.
The movie’s opening is probably the only thing that really stands out. Before the meeting, we see a nervous volunteer from the church clumsily making preparations. This section contains a strange black comedy tone that is not repeated in the conversation the film is about but rather goes against the tone that the film ultimately aims to set.
The setting plays an important role in the atmosphere. A local church made a chat room available so that parents could discuss in peace. The simple decor depicts the void both families feel after losing their sons. It also causes the film to conflict with the visual aspect of the film. The movie obviously tries very hard to be visually pleasing, but with a boring setting (on purpose) that just isn’t possible.
In the end, the long and intense dialogue is all that Mass He has to display. Because we receive all the information through dialogue, the film is away from the viewer for a long time. The characters obviously have more information than the viewers, which causes some tension at first but eventually leads to less interest.
