Sarah Hodder

I was riveted from the first moment. The tightly coiled tension and familiar awkwardness of the setting, the phenomenal performances of the four actors, seven actually, all of them feel profoundly present and real, and the wrenching subject matter combine to make an unforgettable and deeply moving film. The writing is tight and spot on, as is the acting. And finally we see the demonized, pariahed parents of a killer - as human, parents who are grieving and suffering in isolation and shame, while they too must grapple with life in a world their son has turned upside down, with hearts he has shredded. They raised a murderer and they lost a son. Their sorrow and fear and guilt and love are almost overwhelming to witness. The other couple, Gail and Jay, played masterfully by Martha Plimpton and Jason Isaacs, whose son Evan was killed in the shooting, portray a barely suppressed rage that is always hovering, and their own emotional wounds are only superficially scarred. They are both wholly hurting. Yet none of the acting is overwrought, nor is the script overwritten. Nothing is resolved but all is revealed, and the vulnerability is a triumph in itself. Highly recommend!