‘The Fallout’: A Story Viewers Fear They Will Experience

HBO Max.

For a relatively long time, school students across the country have faced a life threatening scare that affects their relationships, mental health, and focus in the classroom. But no, I’m not talking about COVID-19.

School shootings have lit up the map of the U.S. like a string of christmas lights in the past few decades. “Code Red”s have become the standard protection drills, and hiding behind the teacher’s desk has become second nature. Some are starry-eyed: gingerly moving behind furniture and smiling because there’s finally a break from schooling. Others shiver as they move, clench their phones and open messages, and prepare to type last texts to loved ones.

More restrictive gun laws have been advocated more and more, and the number of those protesting have grown as the gun violence in America has increased. School shootings like the ones at Oxford High School in Michigan, Marjory Stoneman-Douglas High School in Parkland, FL, Santa Fe High School, and Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut made significant strides in amplifying the voice of the movement, yet the administration has been slow in actually developing laws to strengthen gun laws and requirements for buying guns. Recently, White House Officials have revealed that they are working on Gun Control, because their silence has taught them the hard way that Gun Restriction was needed.

“The Fallout” tackles this specific fear of Gen-Z in a way that shows the raw emotions at each stage of the trauma. Jenna Ortega’s whimpers, shivers, and tears seem so real that it looks like watching a live camera during a school shooting. A matter of fact, her experience could quickly become our classmate’s, our sibling’s, and even our own. And that is what makes this story so captivating.

Both Maddie Zeigler and Jenna Ortega’s emotions show the variety of reactions to a life changing incident. As they go to funeral after funeral, they become exhausted from the trauma they have experienced, yet they feel like they should hide it because others have it so much worse. Their “grief-exhaustion” is shown through the account of their day-to-day lives following the shooting, yet contrasted with the determined efforts of others to use their trauma and promote a greater change. The variety of the different classmate’s coping strategies reassure Gen-Z that there is no right way to deal with trauma, especially when it is as destructive and disappointing as mass shootings.

Yet in the darkness surrounding the main characters, their relationships evolve to become deeper, more intimate ties--not only because of shared trauma, but because of the destruction of previously standing emotional guards. This element of the storyline creates a coming-of-age feel and juxtaposes the permanence of a life-threatening situation with the impermanence of youthful feelings, desires, and love-interests.

Megan Park (Dir.) is able to capture a Gen-Z experience, make a political statement, and convey a message about grief in just 1 hour and 32 minutes. This movie is the epitome of the idea that the nature and politics of the world can be effectively changed with art.