Written and directed by Fran Kranz
Starring Ann Dowd, Martha Plimpton, Jason Isaacs, Reed Birney, Breeda Wool
Runtime: 1 hour 50 minutes
Rated PG-13
In select theaters October 8

by Audrey Callerstrom, Associate Editor and Staff Writer

Fran Kranz, an actor probably best known for his role as Marty in Cabin in the Woods, makes his filmmaking debut with Mass, a careful, if a little stage-y drama about two families that meet in the aftermath of a school shooting.  Given the premise, and the minimal cast, I was expecting one of those dramas with scenes of adults pointing and yelling at each other, like Carnage (2011). Something anxiety-inducing and over-the-top. What I got was a quiet film, a sincere contemplation on major themes as two sets of parents struggle to understand the “why” behind a tragedy.

One of Kranz’s greatest strength here is how he builds the setting for this story. Arguably, the film could open as soon as the four adults enter a community room at an Episcopalian church. But Kranz takes his time. We meet one of the church staff, Judy (Breeda Wool), as she tries to assemble the room. She packs it with coffee, water, and two grocery bags worth of snacks. The mediator, Kendra (Michelle N. Carter) kindly advises her that they won’t be eating, but they will need tissues. Kendra sees that the windows were decorated by the Sunday school class. She takes pause. Could these decorations be triggering for the parents? Jay (Jason Isaacs, a British actor making a seamless transition to American suburban dad) and wife Gail (Martha Plimpton) prepare themselves in the car as they wait to drive to the church. There, they meet Kendra, as well as the other set of parents, Linda (Ann Dowd) and Richard (Reed Birney), the latter dressed in a suit as if just arriving from work. They exchange general pleasantries. Linda provides Gail a small bouquet of flowers.

The movie keeps it vague what unfolded the day of the shooting until about the midway point, so I’ll leave it vague here. Both sets of parents are still very much hurting. Each one went through something that the other doesn’t fully understand. Gail makes an emotional appeal, tries to understand and pry through questions. Jay, meanwhile, thinks the issue with the perpetrator should be something that’s classifiable. There must be a name for what he had that would explain his actions. Did someone do something to him? One set of parents tries to pick the situation apart, and the other patiently listens and answers to the best of their ability. No one is guilty, and no one is at fault, although the parents close the conversation by saying they forgive one another.

They talk about gun control, violent video games. They allude to, but never specifically say, what they said to one another – and the press – immediately following the shooting. They meant it. Both parties come in with the same amount of grace and forgiveness, but with an ultimate lack of understanding. The conversation becomes tense, but it doesn’t escalate. At nearly two hours, at times the conversation can grow repetitive. We expect for a revelation of new information that doesn’t quite happen. And the film doesn’t end when, arguably, it should. Both parties could simply drive away, and the film would carry the same weight. Once the meeting is over, as viewers, we want to leave the small space. The film never includes any outside shots, save for a few shots of a nearby fence. And the film doesn’t include any flashbacks either, or images of the kids. The parents exchange photographs, but we don’t see them. It feels appropriate, because the focus is on the conversation, giving the film more of the feel of live theater.

Mass has no music, save for the nearby sounds of a church choir and a piano lesson. Ann Dowd, as always, is terrific as the soft spoken Linda. We see a little naivete in there, too. Reed Birney, a Tony award-winning actor, in his formal work attire, could be seen as villainous, but he’s not. He’s possibly as naïve as Linda, but he has a careful, composed response for every question. He is rarely caught off guard. Gail is a different kind of mom than Linda, struggling to understand how a situation can be so nuanced. She is tight lipped. She sits with her hands folded across her chest. Gail, we expect, was initially the most unwilling party to the mediation. The  dialogue in Mass is so fluid, so loaded with poignant observations and thoughts, yet it still feels genuine. These feel like real people meeting in a room. The film even finds some subtle humor in its earlier moments as Judy struggles to make the room perfect. Each performance is seamless. We feel like we know what comes next, what happens when they get into their cars. They drive home, in silence.