Film Review: "The Fallout" (2022)
An honest snapshot of the America we live in today. (TW: school shootings)
Films that center around true events or real-world situations can be as tricky of a task to pull off as films based on video games. While video game adaptations may struggle with trying to please both fans and the general audience alike, films centering around true events require a certain kind of delicacy in order to work. While Sia, for example, could’ve made a film that very well represented people on the Autism Spectrum. Instead, she made the offensive cinematic dumpster fire, “Music.” A film that not only depicts people on the spectrum in a hateful and offensive manner but, also devolves into tone deaf inspiration porn in the process. There are plenty of other examples (The ending of 2010’s “Remember Me”) that may offend but, we’ve seen plenty of other films (2018’s “A Star is Born” remake) handle heavy subjects with maturity.
DISCLAIMER: From here on out, I will be discussing the plot of “The Fallout”, a film that centers around a mass shooting. If this subject is too heavy for you, I suggest skipping the rest of this review until you see my rating and “Final Verdict.”
When I saw the trailer for Megan Park’s “The Fallout” on my Twitter feed, I wasn’t too sure how I felt about it. The film looked very well made but, given the fact that the film was about a school shooting, I wasn’t sure if I was ready to see this or not. For starters, mass shootings, in general, have sadly become frequent in this country. Every month on the news a shooting happens and our social platforms become flooded with endless arguing and, in many instances, disgusting amounts of disinformation as well. My heart goes out to those who have either survived such a horrific event or have lost someone to it. I am also thankful that I have never been through such a traumatic event in my life. Still, I just wanted to make sure that I was emotionally prepared to see this film given its heavy subject matter.
Following the events of a tragic school shooting, Vada Cavell (Jenna Ortega) forms a bond with school acquaintances Mia Reed (Maddie Ziegler) and Quinton Hasland (Niles Fitch) as they try to cope with the horrors they have lived through. Vada, in particular, begins to reevaluate herself, her relationships, and the world around her. In the aftermath of the shooting, Mia is left home alone while Quinton has to bury his own brother. As she begins to break away from her comfortable family routine, Vada begins taking more chances and reinventing herself through both her own experiences as well as her experiences with Mia and Quinton.
Once I granted myself the opportunity to see “The Fallout”, I was both floored and relieved. I was floored by how well written and directed it was and I was relieved at how well writer/director Megan Park handled the subject matter. The film’s opening is grounded in reality without being exploitative. While the shooting is not shown, it occurs in the background as we focus on the film’s main characters hiding from the shooter. This scene, from a filmmaking perspective, is very well directed and lends itself to some incredible cinematography. From an emotional perspective, It is gut-wrenching and horrifying.
I really liked her in “Scream” (2022) but, in this film, Jenna Ortega has quickly become one of my favorite actresses. Just like Tom Holland in “Spider-Man: No Way Home”, Ortega not only gives (as of now) a career-best performance but, gives an emotionally rich one as well. While she’s not dealing with a multiverse or Willem Dafoe, Jenna Ortega brings a lot to the character of Vada. She is the main focus of the movie and does an incredible job of anchoring the screen with an abundance of heart and personality. After seeing her in this film, “Scream”, and the A24 slasher “X”, I am glad to see her blowing up. I look forward to both seeing her play Wednesday Adams in Netflix’s “Wednesday” and the recently announced crime thriller “Finestkind” starring alongside Ben Foster and Tommy Lee Jones. Expect to see more of her in the coming years.
The rest of the cast also knocks it out of the park as well. While I did not fault her for her performance in the abhorrent “Music”, Maddie Ziegler is outstanding as Mia. She and Ortega are incredible onscreen together and lead to some of the film’s lighter moments. Mia starts out as someone who is unfazed and completely altogether until the film slowly pulls back the emotional curtain on her. Niles Fitch is also great, easily rounding out the main 3 with a sympathetic portrayal of Quinton. Vada’s family also makes for a solid supporting cast. Both Julie Bowen and John Ortiz give compelling performances as Vada’s parents. They, along with Lumi Pollack, who plays Vada’s sister, heavily contribute to a lot of the film’s emotionally charged moments. The scene where Vada and her father are at a secluded part of the beach and yelling their thoughts and feelings into the void is a truly powerful scene that highlights how well acted this film is.
One of my main concerns with “The Fallout”, in terms of how it was going to handle its subject matter, was how these themes would be explored. I feared that the film could possibly be preachy, not too different from the 2018 remake of “Death Wish.” Thankfully, while the themes of emerging out of loss and living in the world that we live in today are tackled head-on, Megan Park does not talk down to the audience nor does her script come off as infantilizing. Her decision to make “The Fallout” character-focused is an incredibly smart one. Everyone deals with loss and trauma very differently and in this film, that is displayed excellently. While some may turn to activism or avoidance, Vada spends a significant portion of the film trying to find her own way of dealing with the world around her after surviving such a horrific event. While we get to see her work on this, the film concludes abruptly.
If anything, that’s the only thing that I didn’t care for about “The Fallout.” Honestly, it’s mostly just a personal preference for me. When it comes to the ending of movies, I have a bit of goldilocks standard: Not too abrupt (i.e. “The Sopranos”) nor too padded out or stretched paper-thin (i.e. “Return of the King”, “Zack Snyder’s Justice League”). While I have those preferences, however, I understand why Megan Park chose to end the film in such a way as opposed to wrapping things up in a nice little bow, something Hollywood is notorious for at times. The reality is that mass shootings are a constant occurrence today in America. The other harsh reality that I’d like to point out from the film’s conclusion is that recovery (especially from a situation like this) is an extremely difficult process for a lot of people. While I am not too fond of abrupt endings, I respect Megan Park’s decision to end the film the way she did.
Given the world that we live in, I understand that this may not be an easy film to recommend. As mentioned before, I put off seeing this for a few months due to its heavy subject matter. However, once I got around to watching “The Fallout”, I was engaged with Vada’s story and everything that happened around her. Megan Park writes and directs a harrowing and honest movie about loss and trauma. Rather than be exploitative, Megan Park approaches the subject matter with class and delicacy. Jenna Ortega is the heart and soul of this movie and I am glad to see her being courted for many projects in the future. As tough as this film is to get through for some, I would highly recommend seeing “The Fallout”. The film does have a triggering narrative but, I promise that when you're emotionally ready, it’ll be worth it.
Final Verdict:
“It’s not an easy film to recommend but, “The Fallout” is anchored with an excellent performance by Jenna Ortega and approaches its heavy subject matter with much-needed sensitivity.”