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.

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I don't know why now, but I didn't watch Mass as a premiere during Sundance. Instead, I left it to an on-demand viewing for the next day. As soon as I finished Wild Indian (which I sort of liked), I knew I made a mistake. Mass is one of the heaviest, unbreathable, overwhelmingly emotional films I've ever seen. This review was supposed to have been up 24h ago, but I needed to process everything and sleep on it. It's even more shocking considering this is a feature directorial debut for Fran Kranz, who becomes a filmmaker worthy of all my attention from now on.

His impressive direction takes the viewers through a story told in such a raw, authentic way that even a simple room with chairs and a table is enough to hold the audience at the edge of their seats for the entire runtime. Technically, I must praise Kranz's mise-en-scène, which tells a story on its own through the movement of the actors and the position of certain set elements during each scene. From something seemingly irrelevant as the carefully placed flowers and tissues to the extremely tense atmosphere created by the parents' uncomfortable disposition, I finished the movie emotionally exhausted as if someone had drained everything inside me.

This takes me to one of the most compelling, devastating, heartfelt performances I've ever seen in a single film. Every actor incorporates their respective characters in such a giving, passionate manner that I'm sure this movie was as hard to shoot for them as it was for the viewers to watch. Jason Isaacs, Ann Dowd, Martha Plimpton, and Reed Birney all deserve nominations in every awards show worldwide. I can't even pick a standout interpretation because all are genuinely magnificent. They're all so extraordinarily invested in dealing with their characters' struggles that I couldn't stop tearing up after each line of dialogue. Everyone has at least one big moment to shine, and everyone nails that moment in a jaw-dropping way.

However, Mass is far from being an actor showcase. It brings several sensitive, important matters to the table (literally), such as gun violence and the impact of video games on young people, but it also addresses feelings that are tough to deal with: forgiveness, love, the ability to move on, grief/loss, anger, guilt, depression, and so much more. It's one of those films that will undoubtedly impact every single viewer, even if it's in a negative way. As much as I love everything I saw on the screen, it's also a movie I don't see myself watching again, at least not more than two times. It ends in an expectedly positive light, but it might be too emotionally demanding for me in this current phase of my life.

Mass is undoubtedly one of the most emotionally challenging viewings I've ever had to face. Fran Kranz's feature directorial debut tells an unbelievably heavy story through four actors who dive deep into their characters, all delivering career-best performances. Everyone is an incredible standout: Jason Isaacs, Ann Dowd, Martha Plimpton, and Reed Birney deserve a massive campaign to receive every acting award there is. The cast drains every single ounce of emotion within the viewers, transforming a tiny little room with impactful mise-en-scène that tells its own story into an extremely tense, heart-wrenching, almost unbreathable environment. Dozens of meaningful matters and challenging feelings are addressed in the span of little less than two hours, creating a truly devastating film that left me sobbing. It's utterly impossible for someone not to be affected by this movie, even if it's in a negative way. It's one of those films that I'll recommend to everyone and support throughout its eventual release, but I can't deny this might have been my one and only watch of such a brutally demanding, authentic story.

Rating: A

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.

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".

Two couples sit down together in a perfectly well prepared room, to discuss a tragedy that links the four people.

A masterclass in acting, no special effects, no big budget, just a talented group of actors, and a fantastic script.

It's a very powerful film, it does something that many forget to do, it gives you both sides of the coin, the impact on both parties, the obviously injured, and the silently injured. It makes for a very thought provoking watch.

Mass maybe slow to start, a little curious, you may, as I did, be scratching your head wondering what's happening, but after thirty minutes, you get the moment, the revelation, the reason for this inconvenience and awkward meeting.

Truths, revelations, consequences, anger, when this film hits, it hits hard.

I can't, and won't pick out a single performance, all were equally terrific, but it was great to see Jason Isaacs in a role like this, showing just how good he is.

Not one to watch if you're a little low, or having a bad day, as the content is pretty bleak, but I'd you're intent on watching some first rate acting, this is for you.

8/10.