I like it when a film maker surprises me. When the comic relief from Joss Whedon movies decides to write and direct a quiet but powerful little film about the parents of a school shooting meeting the parents of one of their son's victims, and he pulls it off so eloquently, that surprises me. Suddenly Kranz has made it to my must watch list.
Kranz' very smart decision is to film his story with a minimalist approach, just pointing his camera at his amazing cast and letting them work the magic. This may be a bit reductive. He manages to set the stage and highlight moments of sensitivity through some smart choices but he never overwhelms the story, choosing instead to let us all sit with the power of it.
And it is powerful. The 4 cast members who carry the weight of this story are all excellent, each has moments to shine and none of them over play their hands. For me it was Dowd who just broke through and delivered the kind of memorable performance that can be the centrepiece of a career. She is breathtaking as the mother of a killer who shoulders blame and yet finds strength to comfort those around her.
There we so many times Mass could have gone for the overblown drama, but instead Kranz and his cast choose to let the rage and despair simmer under the surface. It never tries to reach the cathartic moments of answers, display of justice. It just struggles with the unknowableness of it all and in that the catharsis is reached. It is an exhausting film and by the end we are wrecked. It deals with an unconsolable pain and succeeds but not trying to solve, but to just experience.
Mass
Starring: Ann Dowd, Jason Isaacs, Martha Plimpton, Reed Birney
Writer/Director: Fran Kranz
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