Mass

Mass (2021) takes place in a back room of a church, has four actors, and unfolds almost entirely around one table. Two couples meet. One couple's son was killed in a school shooting. The other couple's son carried it out and also died. Years have passed. They want to talk. It begins politely. The weather, the drive, the coffee. Then the table slowly cracks. Accusation, defence, apology, rage, and finally the admission that none of it is enough. Fran Kranz never speeds the conversation up. The entire weight rests on four faces. The hardest thing in it is that the shooter's parents are grieving too, and the film does not try to argue you into accepting that. It simply shows it. Kranz was an actor and this is his first film as director. He makes no attempt to show off the camera and trusts the writing and the performances completely. It premiered at Sundance, and all four are equally good: Martha Plimpton, Jason Isaacs, Ann Dowd, Reed Birney. It runs 111 minutes. Good for: theatrical drama, performance driven films, and difficult subjects. Less good for: school shooting and the loss of a child are the direct subject, nothing moves visually, and it is genuinely draining.