By Jack Deegan
Staff Writer
WARNING: This review talks in-depth about the sensitive topic of school shootings
The newest movie to release on HBO Max is director Megan Park’s highly anticipated feature directorial debut “The Fallout,” which she wrote herself. The film drew lots of acclaim and attention last year at the 2021 South by Southwest Film Festival where it won three awards. Now, almost a year after its debut in March of 2021, it has finally been released for the public to watch this heartbreaking story.
The film follows high school student Vada Cavell (Jenna Ortega) as she tries to navigate life after a school shooting that takes place at her school and the trauma that comes with that. Her life forever changed, she bonds with two other students she otherwise never would have: Mia (Maddie Ziegler) and Quinton (Niles Fitch).
With a story involving such a heavy subject like a school shooting, it’s hard to handle something like that in an appropriate way that accurately depicts the trauma that comes with it. “The Fallout” not only expertly handles that emotional topic, but also shows us many different perspectives and just how dramatically an event like this can change someone’s life in just six minutes. It makes for a beautiful and emotional coming-of-age story that has never really been told before like this in film, and it most definitely left a lasting impact on me.
The movie opens with a scene that is hard to watch as Vada and Mia meet in the bathroom while the shooting is actually taking place. We get to experience this horror first-hand through their perspectives. Jenny Ortega does some of the best acting I’ve ever seen for someone her age and steals every scene she’s in. It’s a truly terrifying moment, and it only gets worse when Quinton comes to the bathroom to hide for safety, covered in blood. It’s such a tense and scary scene that shows how traumatic this experience was for these three students whose lives would forever be changed and intertwined.
The rest of the film shows us the effects this has on a person’s emotional state and how they handle something like that. Vada and Mia start to become friends since they both aren’t comfortable talking to other people about the incident, and they can find comfort in each other. Their relationship is at the heart of the film, as we see these two get closer and closer with each other. Mia, a dancing influencer with 80,000+ followers, is someone Vada would have never interacted with prior to that event. They’re able to come together to comfort each other and find themselves spending more and more time together, which is for better and for worse.
Vada’s so shaken by this incident that she turns to drugs and alcohol to avoid stress. It even impacts her in school when she has to be high in order to be able to feel comfortable there. It’s a very real depiction of trauma and just goes to show how people are living with themselves and that survivor’s guilt after horrific life-changing events.
Vada’s life turns completely upside down after this and it starts to affect her relationships as well, primarily with her best friend Nick (Will Ropp). They both handle the tragedy in different ways: Nick does all that he can to try to make sure that this never happens again, making TV appearances and becoming the local face of this movement, all while Vada has a hard time even returning to a school she doesn’t feel safe and comfortable at anymore. These ideological differences in how they move on from this event really help to show how people handle traumatic events in different ways.
Vada’s friendship with Quinton also begins to grow as they both bond over this shared experience. Out of the main cast, Quinton was hit the hardest by this tragedy and we get to see how he handles it in similar ways to Vada. They grow into good friends because of it. It’s very interesting to watch this all play out as we see these characters handle it in different ways, and it helps to reinforce the themes of the film.
“The Fallout” is a movie that masterfully handles heavy subject matter to tell an incredibly emotional and unforgettable coming of age story.
