Vada (Jenna Ortega) is an awkward high schooler.
One day, Vada leaves class to go to the bathroom after her younger sister Amelia (Lumi Pollack) calls to ask about her first period. There she meets Mia (Maddie Ziegler), a dancer who happens to be one of the school's most popular student. But not a moment had passed when they heard gunshots outside the corridor.
They were startled into hiding in the nearest cubicle. They were soon joined by Quinton (Niles Fitch), who still had blood on his shirt. He informed them that a shooter had killed his brother and was now shooting at everyone in the hallway.
The police soon arrived. However, it’s clear that Vada, Mia, and Quinton are traumatized by the experience.
Vada's parents enlisted the services of a therapist (Shailene Woodley) to assist her in processing what had occurred. She presents herself as emotionally strong, but she is actually feeling empty on the inside. After discovering that Mia feels the same way, she decided to spend some quality time with her. They eventually learn to rely on one another to cope with the fear, stress, and grief.
Gun safety is a huge problem in the US. In fact, according to the CDC, 45,222 people died from gun-related injuries in the United States in 2020. "The Fallout" makes an extremely solid case that the impact of easy access to guns is tragic, profound, and long-lasting. But death is not it's only serious effect. It also kills the sense of hope, comfort, and security for everyone who experienced and witnessed the violence.
Furthermore, the film focuses on Vada and Mia. And a very important information about them is that they are teenagers. They’re mostly incapable of verbalizing or processing their emotions. So we see them get lost, get drunk, and get mad at other people for no reason at all. Yet director Megan Park makes sure that the feeling of emptiness is not of pure innocence, naivety, or recklessness. For every opportunity, she ascertains that it’s all because of fear and grief that they cannot assimilate.
The film suggests that people have different ways of coping. Vada's friend, Nick (Will Ropp), uses it to fight for a better gun-control law, whereas Quinton uses the experience to be more headstrong. There are people as well that were not directly affected but are also trying to recover from the incident. Such as Vada’s sister Amelia, who, for some reason, blames herself for her sister’s pain and transformation. And that’s pressing, considering that she's too young to be saying such things.
"The Fallout" stands out since, even if the topic is heavy, Park ensures that there are controls in place. She treats the viewers and characters with the utmost care by suppressing and censoring triggering scenes. Films like this could easily be a cautionary tale by letting Vada and Mia abuse drugs and alcohol. But it didn’t happen, fortunately, since that would have been kind of defeatist and against the point of the story.
Another reason for it's deep emotional impact is Jenna Ortega. The young actress is quickly establishing herself as a star and a force to be reckoned with. She’s the perfect Vada in Park’s story, and it’s all because of her awkwardness, appearance, and ability to show and hide complex emotions. A stellar cast and performance indeed.
"The Fallout" is a must-watch because it drives home the point that inadequate gun control and unfortunate gun violence can change a child’s life for the worse. It's also an insightful lesson about fear and grief, as well as the various ways we fight and learn to live with them.
4/5
