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Direction: Francois Kranz | Script: Francois Kranz | cast: Jason Isaac (Jay), Martha Plimpton (Gail), Ann Dowd (Linda), Reed Birney (Richard), Breeda Wool (Judy), Kagen Albright (Anthony), Michelle N. Carter (Kendra), others | Playtime: 111 minutes | Year: 2021
Due to the many shootings in the United States, the discussion about this has exploded in the United States and the rest of the western world. It’s not a new problem; about ten years ago, Lynn Ramsay offered a character study of a “school shooter” with her movie We need to talk about Kevin† Mass focuses more on its consequences, in which the parents of a victim engage in dialogue with the parents of the abuser.
Movies that rely entirely on dialogue are risky because they demand a lot of attention from the viewer. In the dialog Mass knows how to make a good sketch of the shooting, the preparations and the aftermath. Partly because of the strong acting of the four protagonists, the most crucial scenes are spicy and punchy. However, the film unfolds in rhythm, which means there are constant emotional highs with moments of calm in between.
This constant stream of small climaxes makes it seem Mass longer than necessary. The dialogue always spins in circles, where each time a different character has an emotional outburst. On the other hand, each actor gets their chance to deliver a crazy monologue and an intense acting performance.
The opening of the film is perhaps the only thing that really stands out. Before the meeting, we see a nervous church volunteer making preparations in an awkward way. This section has a weird dark comedy tone that doesn’t play out in the conversation surrounding the film and even contradicts the tone the film ultimately aims to set.
The setting plays an important role in the mood. A local church has provided a room for conversation so parents can talk in peace. The minimalist decor depicts the emptiness felt by the two families after the loss of their sons. It also causes the film to struggle with the visual aspect of the film. It’s clear that the movie tries very hard to be visually interesting, but with the (intentionally) boring setting, that’s not possible.
In the end, a long and intense dialogue is all that Mass has to offer. Because we receive all the information through the dialogue, the film takes a long time away from the viewer. It’s clear that the characters have more information than the viewers, which causes some tension at first but ultimately leads to less interest.
