Mass

Fran Kranz's 'Mass' is a breathtaking debut feature about grieving parents that will linger long after the movie is over. The four-person ensemble group delivers fascinating performances while conveying a nail-biting story. Honest, optimistic, and brave, it is profoundly compelling in both the intimacy of its dramatic scope and the universality of the subjects it addresses.

A powerhouse of raw emotions & riveting performances, Mass makes for a heartbreaking & emotionally draining drama concerning two grieving parents who meet to discuss a tragedy involving their sons. Treating its subject matter with care & sensitivity, the story unfolds in a single room and is driven by the difficult conversation that ensues between the two couples.

Written & directed by Fran Kranz in what's his directorial debut, this dialogue-driven drama relies entirely on its cast to steer itself past the finish line and all four actors give their all to make it happen. Kranz is patient with his characters, provides them the space they need to breathe & express themselves, and allows their emotions to arise gradually by not hurrying through the process.

Even the awkward phase before the main conversation plays out in its entirety but once we get into the harrowing details of the tragedy that transpired and forever changed their lives, it's then left to Reed Birney, Ann Dowd, Jason Isaacs & Martha Plimpton to bring it all home. And they more than deliver on that note. The bookended scenes are a tad drawn out but its central drama is compelling throughout.

Overall, Mass navigates through loss, pain, trauma, guilt, anger, forgiveness, acceptance & healing and marks a promising start for its debutant filmmaker. The atmosphere is charged, intense & volatile but our character actors sure revel in it, with each turning in a memorable input. All in all, this story of two parents grappling with enormous personal losses who meet together to find some closure is definitely worth your time.

Two couples sit down together in a perfectly well prepared room, to discuss a tragedy that links the four people.

A masterclass in acting, no special effects, no big budget, just a talented group of actors, and a fantastic script.

It's a very powerful film, it does something that many forget to do, it gives you both sides of the coin, the impact on both parties, the obviously injured, and the silently injured. It makes for a very thought provoking watch.

Mass maybe slow to start, a little curious, you may, as I did, be scratching your head wondering what's happening, but after thirty minutes, you get the moment, the revelation, the reason for this inconvenience and awkward meeting.

Truths, revelations, consequences, anger, when this film hits, it hits hard.

I can't, and won't pick out a single performance, all were equally terrific, but it was great to see Jason Isaacs in a role like this, showing just how good he is.

Not one to watch if you're a little low, or having a bad day, as the content is pretty bleak, but I'd you're intent on watching some first rate acting, this is for you.

8/10.

This is a deeply moving film that follows the lives of two sets of parents who meet up to discuss a tragedy that happened in the past that resulted in the death of both their son's.

What a brilliant film this is . Four great performances from actors who are that the top of their game.

The subject matter is painful. One set of parents son was shot dead in a school shooting and the other are the parents of the shooter .

They discuss with each other whether they could have prevented what happened and even if they are at fault .

The tension is obviously high and the emotions range from guilt to blame to forgiveness.

This definitely has the feel of a stage play as it's four people set in one location but that's definitely not a criticism.

I love the way the parents try their very best , after the small talk , to be civil under very extreme circumstances and obvious tensions boil over at times .

There are two scenes that I absolutely love . One is after all the discussion and emotion the four of them go back to small talk after obvious relief that the meeting is over and the other is when Linda comes back into the hall at the end to tell one last story .

That performance alone , from Ann Dowd deserves an award .

Absolutely stunning .

The sad conclusion I came to after watching Mass is that there are teenagers all over the world that have the same mental health issues as highlighted here but it's only in America that they have access to guns and until that's addressed ( which it never will be) there will continue to be these awful meetings .

This would make a fantastic theatre play, as its exactly that. Sure, some people might say "why should I watch 4 people sit and talk in a room for 2 hours?" ...but this is so much more than this. I think I have found my surprise/underdog Oscar nominee here.

I would even recommend to NOT watch the trailer and experience that journey like it was meat to be watched. You slowly get clues fed and construct what really happened. The movie completely relies on the reverse principle of film making and goes for the "Tell dont show" in this case, which does work though!

Especially Martha Plimpton and Ann Dowd are NAILING it in this movie. This could very well been have a Masterclass session by those two on how to act in a drama.

There is no visual stimulation, but this movie still manages to take you onto an emotional journey and when you think its over....it isnt.

In all honesty, this is not a movie that needs to be seen in the cinema, this is actually perfect for a streaming service. Just give this movie a chance and fully focus on how brilliant those 4 actors are!