Published Mar. 10, 2022
By SAFIA BOUHAJA
Get your tissues ready because the HBO Max film “The Fallout” is an emotional rollercoaster, but in the best way possible.
High schoolers Vada (Jenna Ortega) and Mia (Maddie Ziegler) navigate their emotions in the aftermath of a school tragedy. Vada’s view of her relationships, friends and family are forever shifted after the school shooting that occurs. This film deals with such a dark topic, but still has subtle humor and loveable characters.
Ortega and Ziegler tackle the heavy and triggering topic of school shootings, unfortunately very relevant in today’s society. Ortega and Ziegler do a fantastic job conveying their emotions in a realistic and relatable way.
Writer and director Megan Park perfectly delivers this topic in a simple, but effective way that feels like the audience isn’t watching a movie anymore because of the scenarios and characters that people can relate to.
(courtesy of HBO MAX)
Being from Canada, a country that has stricter gun laws, Park stated in multiple press interviews that she was hesitant to make a film about gun violence and school shootings. However, this movie has been made considering that there has been a high number of school shootings in the past few years that have affected the lives of many and traumatized numerous teenagers.
The film makes a great effort on getting the audience to empathize with Vada when she distances herself from the ones closest to her, like her parents and sister, as it shows how severely a life-altering traumatic event like this can affect someone.
Ortega and Ziegler are phenomenal when capturing the sorrow and trauma that Vada and Mia carry while trying to go on with their daily life and how they both turn to drugs and alcohol as a coping mechanism.
This film is exceptionally realistic when it comes to teenagers in this day and age and how they deal with tragedies. For example, there are many scenes where Vada is texting other characters, and it implements the loneliness she is feeling and how she seeks connections with others during these desperate times.
Overall the suspenseful film has a powerful message and is definitely worth watching.
