Notes from Dunblane: Lesson from a School Shooting

It touched my heart deeply. To me this short documentary is about the two priests who are both citizens of their different towns but also the ones who have as their work to hold the community in grief together. I don't understand the negative comments because this is a documentary about two priests in two towns that have had school shootings. Nothing else.

Amazed at the low ratings and poor reviews seemingly from those missing the point.

I stumbled accidentally on this at 4am idling my way along Netflix and decided to watch given that it was only short and not overly taxing. It was really a beautiful and thought provoking glimpse into how these two tragedies affected those whose lives, calling and purpose is to be the ones offering the healing, supporting victims / bereaved loved ones and helping them to make sense of the most senseless act.

The lack of graphic detail or political viewpoint at either side is refreshing and the focus remains solely on how the tragedy affected these two priests and how they reached out to each other from opposite sides of the pond.

Father Bob visibly at the verge of breakdown was hard to watch and that simple email all the way from a fellow priest in Scotland to give support, thoughts and prayers must have been a huge comfort and did raise the question of how difficult it must be for those expected to be an unwavering support and have answers to the questions they don't understand.

It doesn't aim to review or pick up and renew the arguments about gun control legislation - it's half an hour long.

It's not a preachy religious half hour. It's not a political half hour either. It's purely from the heart of the two gents and others seldom considered as being in need of support.

A very brief and short documentary that could have put some light on the gun debate/reform many (if not all) Americans wish for. In light of the recent tragedy in New Zealand (a mass shooting that was born out of hate against a religion different than the one the shooter believes in), the people in power there will not build a wall, but rather get strong gun laws.

Now this obviously could not included this, but not just I realized the missed potential in the documentary. It's a short, but you could do more than show how politicians reacted or what they said after the mass shootings. And while I highly doubt that America will get the gun restrictions they desperately need, at least in my lifetime, the documentary still could have put a spot light on that. As it is and because it is just over 20 minutes, it is ok - which you can take either way I guess. Thoughts and prayers to the survivors and those affected - but those alone will not help the inevitable next tragedy from happening

This documentary was okay, but it left me wanting more. The subject matter is undeniably heavy, and the film does a decent job of addressing it. However, I couldn't help but feel that it should have been longer to explore the depths of the emotional aftermath of such a tragic event. It's not every day you come across a documentary that tackles this kind of sensitive topic, so it had the potential for greatness.

One standout aspect was the portrayal of priests as pillars of the community during such a challenging time. It's refreshing to see them depicted as genuinely supportive figures, providing comfort and guidance to the affected individuals. In a world where clergy often get a bad rap, it's heartwarming to witness their positive impact. So, while "Lessons from a School Shooting" may fall short in some areas, it's worth a watch for its unique perspective on the role of priests in times of intense hardship.

I found the short engaging and innovative in portraying the similarities between the two shootings, however, it fell far short in conveying the differences. The trailer culminates on the issue of gun ownership. In the film, however, it is covered in a very isolated way: a 2 minute segment on the opinion of the priest in Dunblane and the introduction of tighter gun laws in the UK (already far stricter than the US) and then the text at the end of the film which compares changes to gun laws in the UK and US. Rather than the issue only being presented to the viewer, there should have been dialogue between the priests and the communities about the issues. The reason a school shooting hasn't happened in the UK since Dunblane is not because of the support and hope in the community (valuable as this is), it was because of the action taken and a wholly different mindset on gun ownership. For me it was a missed opportunity.