Sundance 2021: MASS

A quick glance at the synopsis of Mass will make it abundantly clear that this is far from an easily digestible film. Fran Kranz’s first feature is a haunting opus to America’s longstanding issues with gun violence, which takes audiences on an unapologetic journey to some of the darker corners of the country’s (ongoing) history. With performances that will hopefully not be forgotten come awards season next year, Mass is easily one of the highlights of this year’s Sundance Film Festival.

Setting the stage for what eventually turns into a dramatic pilgrimage of tragic memories and heated discourse, Mass begins by introducing audiences to a local church. Judy (Breeda Wool) helps prepare a space within the building for a seemingly important meeting, and the participants of said meeting begin to arrive shortly after. Jay (Jason Isaacs) and Gail (Martha Plimpton) are first to arrive, followed by Richard (Reed Birney) and Linda (Ann Dowd). What starts off as an awkwardly polite interaction transforms into an emotionally robust examination of grief and loss. As Jay and Gail come to terms with losing their son to a tragic school shooting, they do so while confronting the parents of the assailant, Richard and Linda, who are grieving in their own way.

The Balancing Act Of Heavy Emotions

The emotions in Mass are as heavy as one might expect, which is only fair given the subject matter of the film. Kranz starts off slow, but quickly builds his way up to the mountain of devastation that embodies these four characters. Even prior to when the more honest discourse begins, it’s clear there’s a level of pain in the room which envelops even the most neutral verbal interactions. Every line in the film is bathed with a hint of sadness, and that dramatic tension this creates is stunning to experience.

It’s also quite astounding that Mass never seems to overdo its dramatic tendencies, which it could have easily done. Any emotional outburst is balanced by more subtle expressions of tragedy, and this threading between highs and lows helps maintain a degree of clarity. Even the screenplay’s commentary on gun violence seems to find a balanced viewpoint, albeit being rightfully critical of the issues at large. The film never tips over into something that feels dramatic for the sake of theatrics, and simply lets the emotions bleed out in a rather natural way.

A masterful use of limited space

Kranz should also be lauded by his masterful use of space in the film, which mostly takes place within a singular room. By carefully composing each shot and allowing the camera to linger for just the right amount of time, he’s able to both add and relieve the film of its dramatic tension as needed. There isn’t a lot of room for him to work with, but each sequence seems to be carefully mapped out, allowing audiences to either breathe or hold their breath.

Mass is also for the most part quite static in its camera movements but also becomes disruptively kinetic as the narrative reaches its dramatic heights. The quiescence ambiance of the film, along with the choral performance near the end, also embellishes the dramatic environment that is befitting of such a narrative. These creative choices can easily debunk any discourse surrounding the stage play nature of the film, as Kranz makes full use of the cinematic medium in order to create something truly remarkable.

A culmination of powerhouse performances

It’s hard not to fixate on the astounding performances from the film’s four leading cast members, and one can only hope that Isaacs, Plimpton, Birney, and Dowd receive recognition for their work during next year’s awards cycle. Not that awards are a sole marker for dramatic achievement, but it would certainly feel criminal to have performances like these not be acknowledged by the acting community at large.

Isaacs and Plimpton are both heartbreaking as parents who have endured an unthinkable loss, while still demonstrating a level of earned resiliency. Birney and Dowd have an arguably more difficult task of creating empathy in portraying characters who raised a murderer. Both performances are layered and riveting in their own way. Dowd, in particular, shines with her ability to bottle up Linda’s buried emotions, only to release them when the situation calls for it.

Final thoughts

Mass is far from an easy film to watch, but the emotional journey that it takes you through is one that is both important and emotionally gratifying. Kranz has assembled one of the most impressively packaged examinations of how people endure a lifetime of tragedy, and the film serves as a humanistic indictment on the devastating impact of gun violence. This should easily be one of the most important films of the year.