We Are Columbine

To everyone rating this movie low fail to miss the point about why they don't mention the shooters. This was movie was made by one of the survivors and her and everyone she interviewed didn't want to give the shooters the publicity. Every media outlet when they talk about the columbine shootings always focus on the gunmans and this movie was suppose to be different. This movie gets a 10/10 on my book because they talk give you their genuine take on that day and high school. I really recommend watching this if you want a take on what the survivors of Columbine felt before, during, and after that day.

If you go into this movie expecting to have the shooters' motives rehashed yet again, you will be disappointed. First-person shooter video games are already getting your dollars. This movie was made with the intention of showing the effect of trauma, period. Trauma never ends. It changes, it morphs, it waxes and wanes, but it is never over. It is made especially difficult when the nation and the world assume that they know your story because cameras showed up (and did not always correctly report what was going on because they were eager to be the first to get info out before verifying it).

I have been counseling survivors of all types of trauma for over 20 years. From the moment this film started I felt my heart fill up with emotion and I did not want it to end. Each of the survivors featured in this film told their story and explained very well the long term impact of trauma. Students and a teacher present during the shooting spoke about the importance of dealing with the loss, fear and grief that followed them for years. While their stories are painful and scary, there were many moments of hope and affirmation. I already recommended this film to some of my patients. Anyone who has suffered from survivors guilt, PTSD or unimaginable loss will find comfort in watching "We Are Columbine." By the end of the film I felt connected to each of the characters. This is a film that needs to be shown around the world to teachers, parents, survivors and family members with loved ones suffering from PTSD. Shari Botwin, LCSW and Author of "Thriving After Trauma: Stories of Living and Healing," (Rowman & Littlefield, November 8, 2019)

Very well done. I was pleasantly surprised to not hear the names of the shooters once throughout the movie. It was all about the victims, the trauma they've experienced, and the community that has grown from the ashes.

It's been 20 years since the Columbine High School Massacre, and this documentary was made by one of the survivors, as she sits down exclusively with a handful of others (including her friends) who were willing to revisit that horrible day. The doc does a good job building up to the event, and each person's account remains surprisingly vivid and terrifying even after all these years. Some of the interviewees haven't walked these halls since it happened, so it's chilling to watch them do so. The doc smartly stays away from asking "Why?" And instead focuses on how these people have healed over the past two decades. It feels very therapeutic.