shootings
As we reflect on this modern phenomenon and our fear of it in film, we must be careful not to make the same errors as the media has made in covering mass shootings.
With every passing detail, We are Columbine sinks deeper and deeper into your soul, a piece of it sticking with you when the film has ended.
22 July begins as an urgent and devastating film, before suddenly turning into a never-ending slog, destined to leave viewers wondering where things went wrong.
For all its faults, U – July 22 attempts to throw the viewer into an unimaginable situation instead of passively retelling it is worth celebrating, even if it doesn’t fully achieve its immersive aim.
I was lucky enough to get the chance to interview The Hard Stop’s director, George Amponsah, producer, Dionne Walker and co-star Marcus Knox-Hooke, recently, before watching a screening of the film followed by an audience Q&A with Amponsah, Walker, Knox-Hooke and co-star Kurtis Henville. It was one of the most moving and insightful experiences I’ve had for a long time, and I’m still unravelling the many thoughts and feelings both the film and our conversation inspired. The IMDB description of the film The Hard Stop explains: