Mass Review
9/10
Many films slip under the radar. Often, it’s due to lack of advertising and or being pushed aside by bigger films. The Oscars used to be seen as the primary source of great films, but that status is eroding more and more every year. In the pre-internet era, award shows were a way for an audience to see what the most important films from the past year were. Discovering lesser-known films was more limited to arthouse theaters, publications, and word of mouth. Most people would stick to what was in the major theater chains and recommendations from others.
Now, these award shows are in an awkward place since we are far more aware of how many fantastic films are out there beyond what they give shiny statues to. That’s not to say awards shows are irrelevant, they can completely transform someone’s career. There is no way for them to cover every brilliant film released in a year. Unfortunately, they have ignored numerous wonderful films. Many of my favorites of the past few years received no Oscar attention whatsoever. Some like the Spirit Awards do a better job at showcasing a wider variety of filmmakers. That is how I saw Mass.
I originally heard about it via the critic Chris Stuckmann on his YouTube Channel. I love films that can focus a narrative into mostly one location. It’s not easy to make a bunch of characters in a single space compelling for a feature-length narrative. I’m trying to avoid getting into the story details of Mass. The trailer reveals a major plot element, but I’m going to be a bit vaguer since I want to preserve the experience for people as much as I can. That’s how I watched the film and I think it’s the best way to see it.
Mass is about four parents having a meeting at a church after the horrific death of their sons. How their sons died I will not spoil. The vast majority of the film takes place in one backroom of a church. This gives the film an emotional intimacy that can feel uncomfortable since there is no way to escape the turmoil. No cutaways to other characters discussing what is happening in the other room. Just an opening scene with three other people establishing the basics of what is about to happen.
Once the four main characters are together, we don’t see anyone else until the end. The film takes a slow-burn approach to the exposition of what is going on. There is a feeling of unease and tension in the air before we understand the significance of this meeting. This build-up is the only slight issue I have with the film. I felt the opening scene dragged on a bit too long. I get what it was doing to establish a tone of uncertainty, but I felt the pacing could have been streamlined so we get to the parents faster. Once we meet the main ensemble, the film truly becomes something special. Jason Issacs, an actor I’ve been a fan of for years, plays Jay, while the fantastic Martha Plimpton plays his wife Gail.
They are meeting with two other parents, Linda, played by Ann Dowd, and Richard, played by Reed Birney. Initially, we are not told why they are meeting. There is a palpable sense of unease as they talk. Gail has been communicating with Linda via letters for a while before this in-person interaction. Despite this previous communication, their dynamic at the start is icy. Linda does what she can to reach out and connect with Gail, but there is too much trauma present for either to understand each other until these moments when they can talk.
Ann Dowd is one of those actors who many will recognize from multiple films. She has been a versatile and standout character actor for years. Compliance, from 2012 is one of her best roles. That is another film I will write about at some point. When the truth is revealed about why these four people are meeting in the back room of a church, the impact is heartbreaking. This is one of the most brutally emotional films I have seen in a while. Every performance is incredible. They are all given time for their anguish to boil until it explodes.
The film never casts judgment on anybody, it paints a portrait of their despair. Linda and Richard’s son is to blame for the death of Jay and Gail’s son. This colossal amount of guilt is destroying them. Mass appears to side with Jay and Gail, but as they talk it is clear that Richard and Linda are suffering just as much in their own way. They blame themselves for what happened and are unable to comprehend what they may have done to cause this. Jay and Gail need to heal and move forward, but so do Linda and Richard. This realization forms a kind of bond between them.
A less nuanced film would create artificial hostility and drag out the drama. Mass is not about blame or politics; it’s about living with trauma. Sometimes there is no real way to grasp why our world can be so twisted and cruel. There can’t always be answers to why people do what they do. Linda and Richard could drive themselves mad trying to figure out what they could have done to prevent their son’s actions. Much like how Jay and Gail could drown in sorrow and long to punish the other parents for what they allowed to happen. There are certainly moments where Jay and Gail lash out at Linda and Richard, but they do not have hatred for these people.
Mass tackles a difficult subject that will resonate with many Americans. It’s a topic that usually only comes up when the most horrific circumstances arise; then many of us forget and move on. We tend to politize tragedy to make it digestible. The conversations that happen in this film have more truth and honesty than most feeble social media attempts to express sympathy for those who have suffered loss. We spend so much time disconnecting ourselves from the horrors in the news and trying to make it about blaming those with different political views that we lose track of our humanity in the process. I know I’ve been incredibly vague about the circumstances in the film and how they will relate to current events. You will have to find out for yourself why I’m being so cryptic.
It’s quite remarkable when a film can be engrossing with only four people in a room. This is the feature directorial debut of Fran Kranz. He has acted in various films over the years, most notably playing Marty in Cabin In The Woods. His confidence behind the camera is impressive. Not many first-time directors can come out the gate with a film like this. I’m very much looking forward to what he follows this up with. I’m glad to see it get nominated in the Spirit Awards. Shame that the Oscars could not be more generous to a film that deserves it.
