Mass

A powerhouse of raw emotions & riveting performances, Mass makes for a heartbreaking & emotionally draining drama concerning two grieving parents who meet to discuss a tragedy involving their sons. Treating its subject matter with care & sensitivity, the story unfolds in a single room and is driven by the difficult conversation that ensues between the two couples.

Written & directed by Fran Kranz in what's his directorial debut, this dialogue-driven drama relies entirely on its cast to steer itself past the finish line and all four actors give their all to make it happen. Kranz is patient with his characters, provides them the space they need to breathe & express themselves, and allows their emotions to arise gradually by not hurrying through the process.

Even the awkward phase before the main conversation plays out in its entirety but once we get into the harrowing details of the tragedy that transpired and forever changed their lives, it's then left to Reed Birney, Ann Dowd, Jason Isaacs & Martha Plimpton to bring it all home. And they more than deliver on that note. The bookended scenes are a tad drawn out but its central drama is compelling throughout.

Overall, Mass navigates through loss, pain, trauma, guilt, anger, forgiveness, acceptance & healing and marks a promising start for its debutant filmmaker. The atmosphere is charged, intense & volatile but our character actors sure revel in it, with each turning in a memorable input. All in all, this story of two parents grappling with enormous personal losses who meet together to find some closure is definitely worth your time.

Absolutely fantastic dialogue here but even better acting. Outstanding and I really don't know how even critics are forgetting to recgonize what was done here by these actors and actresses.

I've seen some people connecting this with the guns issue in the US, but I don't think this even touches seriously on that theme. Even if slighly too religious for my taste - a lot of subliminar and not so subliminar messages - this was stupendously well succeeded in exposing the different types and stages of grief, as well as the the difficulties to explain some happenings in our lives, being, above all, a faithful but also a scary portrait of what parenthood means.

This would make a fantastic theatre play, as its exactly that. Sure, some people might say "why should I watch 4 people sit and talk in a room for 2 hours?" ...but this is so much more than this. I think I have found my surprise/underdog Oscar nominee here.

I would even recommend to NOT watch the trailer and experience that journey like it was meat to be watched. You slowly get clues fed and construct what really happened. The movie completely relies on the reverse principle of film making and goes for the "Tell dont show" in this case, which does work though!

Especially Martha Plimpton and Ann Dowd are NAILING it in this movie. This could very well been have a Masterclass session by those two on how to act in a drama.

There is no visual stimulation, but this movie still manages to take you onto an emotional journey and when you think its over....it isnt.

In all honesty, this is not a movie that needs to be seen in the cinema, this is actually perfect for a streaming service. Just give this movie a chance and fully focus on how brilliant those 4 actors are!

An acting tour de force from an incredibly talented cast.

Ann Dowd is a powerhouse. Martha Plimpton a treasure.

Jason Isaacs and Reed Birney exhibit restraint and raw emotion at the same time.

But the script is ponderous. The pacing is deliberate and deadly.

The part of Judy (Breeda Wool) is obsequious and annoying.

And above all, at 1 hour and 52 minutes, this badly needs an editor.

Such fine actors shouldn't have to struggle to hold up such a ponderous script.

Mass tells a heart-breaking story in a way that feels unique in its own way with using interesting editing and dialogue choices that all in all makes it purposeful to see the experience writer/director Fran Kranz has crafted. Performance wise it is filled with considerate actors and actresses that need a lot of attention. And WTF the actresses from The Goonies and Parenthood is in this, and shes amazing. Like come on. If you get a chance to see it, don't waste it.