Mass

This is a deeply moving film that follows the lives of two sets of parents who meet up to discuss a tragedy that happened in the past that resulted in the death of both their son's.

What a brilliant film this is . Four great performances from actors who are that the top of their game.

The subject matter is painful. One set of parents son was shot dead in a school shooting and the other are the parents of the shooter .

They discuss with each other whether they could have prevented what happened and even if they are at fault .

The tension is obviously high and the emotions range from guilt to blame to forgiveness.

This definitely has the feel of a stage play as it's four people set in one location but that's definitely not a criticism.

I love the way the parents try their very best , after the small talk , to be civil under very extreme circumstances and obvious tensions boil over at times .

There are two scenes that I absolutely love . One is after all the discussion and emotion the four of them go back to small talk after obvious relief that the meeting is over and the other is when Linda comes back into the hall at the end to tell one last story .

That performance alone , from Ann Dowd deserves an award .

Absolutely stunning .

The sad conclusion I came to after watching Mass is that there are teenagers all over the world that have the same mental health issues as highlighted here but it's only in America that they have access to guns and until that's addressed ( which it never will be) there will continue to be these awful meetings .

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.

In my opinion, this is the best movie since JOKER (2019). I am 43 years old, i haven't cried watching a movie or generally, for a long time, however there are moments here that brought tears to my eyes. They don't make movies like this anymore. This is a hymn to humanity. Every actor is amazing. It's not a flawless movie, but you will not get distracted because of it. Watch it without knowing the plot. The ending of this movie is the definition of "catharsis".

Fran Kranz's 'Mass' is a breathtaking debut feature about grieving parents that will linger long after the movie is over. The four-person ensemble group delivers fascinating performances while conveying a nail-biting story. Honest, optimistic, and brave, it is profoundly compelling in both the intimacy of its dramatic scope and the universality of the subjects it addresses.

7/10 - hard to watch and packed with the powerful performances (particularly Ann Dowd's), this debut film for writer/director Fran Kranz plays very much like something you would expect to see on the stage but I felt it was a little overlong at times.