Directed By Megan Park

Starring – Jenna Ortega, Maddie Ziegler, Niles Fitch

The Plot – A film about the unseen faces of a tragedy, those who can’t turn their pain into effecting positive change in the world because they are too afraid to leave their bedrooms. Three teenagers (Ortega, Ziegler, Fitch) form a unique and dynamic bond as they navigate the never linear, often confusing journey to heal in a world that feels forever changed.

Rated R for adult language throughout, and teen drug and alcohol use

The Fallout | Official Trailer | HBO Max – YouTube

POSITIVES

In her debut directorial effort, Park’s restraint and underlining simplicity elicits an intriguing catharsis for a group of traumatized youths whose experiences inside of an untimely tragedy produce a rich authenticity to the dynamic of the illustrated world within. Instead of indulging inside of aspects about the tragedy, like imagery, that could easily exploit it in ways that this narrative truly doesn’t require, Park instead maintains her grip of attention on the scope of our central protagonist, played breathlessly here by Ortega, with the spontaneity and emotional shifts of a teenager who is figuratively falling apart at the seams. Ziegler is also a breath of fresh air here, redeeming herself from the tasteless carnage that “Music” had in nearly halting her career. She picks up the pieces with a turn that conveys correspondence in body language and demeanor playing synthetically to the cold characteristics of her isolated surroundings and giving Maddie a gut-wrenching resonance that constantly demanded my attention. From a visual perspective, the film is somberly transfixing, pieced together by Kristen Correll’s metaphorical shot choreography and immense 1.85:1 aspect ratio, which consistently conveys the emptiness and environmental disconnect that these victims bare in trying to piece together their shattered existence. This not only articulates the isolation factor that these victims feel from the rest of the world that seems to be non-clamantly moving on before them, but also engulfs it all in an artificially immersive fog that constantly alludes the unnerving circumstance in a reality that is anything other than picture perfect. But despite the many artificial means of elaboracy within the film’s technical qualities, it’s the aforementioned simplicity in the many characterizations and developments that earns favor for the experience, especially in the dynamic between Vada and Mia that drives a majority of the narrative. Despite the fact that these are two dramatically different personalities on the social spectrum, there’s a nourishing magnetism to the chemistry of Ortega and Ziegler that seamlessly transcends social standing, allowing us to see them as two stripped down emerging friends whose biggest defining synergy between them is something so rare and traumatizing that they have no choice but to seek comfort in the only other person who knows what their lives entail. Finally, the film itself concludes with a leveling last blow that may prove tasteless or unnecessary to certain people seeking escapism in the leaps and bounds of a fictional narrative, or clarity in the depth of its ensuing characters, but I found it to be a responsible reminder of the terrifying world persisting outside of the film, and one that has ultimately come to define us over the past twenty-five years. Without it, the climax of the film itself is a bit too flat and inconsequential for my taste, made all the better with a fearless resiliency from Park that never relents on the authenticity she valued constantly throughout.

NEGATIVES

Even though the script mostly transpires with more hits than misses, there are more than a few occasional hinderances along the way where I wish it could’ve justified their appearances. Such an example pertains to a psychiatrist subplot, played here by Shailene Woodley, who not only feels a bit too big in name power for the minimal amount of screen time for this particular role, but also feels like cutting room extras left in to pad the run time, once you see how little they bring to the rest of the film. This is also the case with talented big-name extras like Julie Bowen and John Ortiz, who appear so sporadically that you often forget that they’re the parents of our primary protagonist but made tragic for how little the film actually has for either of them. In addition to this, certain arcs in the film are introduced but never really followed through on, like Vada’s blossoming sexuality during the film’s climactic third act. This aspect of the storytelling does produce some momentary intriguing aspects with character development but are introduced so late in the storytelling that they often feel like tacked-on afterthoughts, and ones that leave more questions than answers in the resolution of the film’s conclusion. Aside from this, some slight pacing issues in the early second act of the film do give way to some periodic slow points in the consistency of the storytelling, especially in the arc of Quinton (Played by Fitch) who is a distant third in attention to the two central protagonists, despite having the most relevancy to the tragedy. Considering the first act gets the story off and running so abruptly, the sauntering of the second act directly contradicts it, forcing the wear of its miles to catch up quicker than a story this simplistic should adhere to.

OVERALL

Honest, harrowing, and downright haunting, “The Fallout” finds a unique voice of its own inside of the abundance of 21st century drama’s depicting school shootings by focusing on those left behind to pick up the pieces. With spellbinding turns from Jenna Ortega and Maddie Ziegler, as well as refreshing touches of sensitivity and grace from a fresh-faced director, the film is a piercing look at survivor’s guilt, and the resiliency needed in picking up the pieces and trying for it all again.

My Grade: 7/10 or B