It’s always interesting to see actors step behind the camera to direct, both for the subject matters they choose and the times they decide not to cast themselves in their projects. I was particularly moved by William H. Macy’s debut in that role with Rudderless, which played at Sundance in 2014 but didn’t go very far after that. It dealt with a father struggling to connect with his late son through his music after a school shooting. Now, Fran Kranz, who I always remember as Topher on Dollhouse, is exploring a similar concept as writer and director of Mass.
The film opens with church staff members setting up a room for an awkward meeting set to occur between two sets of parents...
Jay (Jason Isaacs) and Gail (Martha Plimpton) have come to talk to Linda (Ann Dowd) and Richard (Reed Birney). Jay and Gail are still devastated by the death of their son Evan, who was killed in a school shooting carried out by Linda and Richard’s son, Hayden. As they sit across the table from each other, they share their memories of their sons and confront complicated sentiments about their roles in what happened.
This film’s script could be mistaken for a play, but there’s extraordinary value in the close-ups and angles that enable all four actors to communicate so much about how they feel with their facial expressions and unspoken sentiments. It’s surely not meant to represent every parent who has lost a child in a violent way, but it does speak to the conflicting notions at play, especially for those who carry the burden of having raised someone who caused others such anguish and pain.
This four-person cast is truly phenomenal. Plimpton and Dowd have been regular fixtures on numerous television shows and are functioning at an extremely high level here. Isaacs, who is often underused and deserves more lead roles, conveys a range of emotions with grace. It’s wonderful to see Birney, best known for his theater work and for playing the generally useless Donald Blythe on House of Cards, opposite these three more typically-featured performers.
This is a difficult, emotional film, one that navigates devastating issues and forces audiences to sit in the discomfort of this miserable confrontation. Those who can relate to this topic all too well may find it far too triggering and painful to watch, and viewer discretion is very much advised. But for those willing to engage with this material, it is a searing and immensely powerful film, one that deftly handles its very sensitive subject matter.