Aftermath of a violent tragedy that affects the lives of two couples in different ways.
Chuck says:
Fran Kranz’s Mass is not the sort of film you sit down to watch after a rough week. An unflinching look at grief and the ways individuals attempt to process a tragic loss, this poignant drama is a showcase for its four central actors, each of whom dig deep to confront a situation none of us should ever have to face.
Taking place in a single room in a church, Jay and Gail (Jason Isaacs and Martha Plimpton) have come bearing an awful burden. Their son was killed in a high school shooting and the killer’s parents, Linda and Richard (Ann Dowd and Reed Birney), have reluctantly agreed to meet them to answer their questions regarding the circumstances that led to the tragedy. Once the couples size each other up, sparks begin to fly, Jay and Gail searching for answers that don’t exist, while Linda and Richard offer up explanations that mean nothing. It’s arduous to watch but gripping as the questions these four pose are ones we’ve all asked when tragedies like this occur. Mass may not be pleasant but it’s hard to shake.
3 1/2 Stars
Pam says:
If you don’t know the name Fran Kranz, you soon will. While this actor has a healthy resume, it’s his sharp eye for story telling that most assuredly will catapult this first-time writer and director into the stratosphere with his writing and directorial debut of Mass starring Ann Dowd, Jason Isaacs, Martha Plimpton, and Reed Birney. With a keen ear for dialogue, a skilled eye, and deft direction of this passionate ensemble cast, the result is one of the most harrowingly complex and captivating films in recent memory.
To read Pam’s review in the ‘Alliance of Women Film Journalists’ go to https://awfj.org/blog/2021/09/29/mass-review-by-pam-powell/
