American Gun

There are very topics on the American social and political scene today than that of guns. Many films have focused on the debates surrounding this issue. Some are documentaries, either pushing one side or the other or in the rare case looking at both sides. While most of these concentrate on the constitutional issues and a plethora of statistics but what is often overlooked is the human side of the equation. Aric Avelino takes a novel approach to the topic with his film, ‘American Gun’. There is no pro or anti gun rhetoric just a group of people whose lives are somehow affected by the availability of guns in the United States. The format he selected was to show three isolated stories each focusing on a different way guns impact the lives of people.

In the small town of Ellisburgh, Oregon was the site of a Columbine like high school shooting. Although the massacre occurred three years ago the wounds for most are still fresh. Janet Huttenson (Marcia Gay Harden) lost her eldest son on that day but her burden and grief is different from the other parents, it was her son Robbie who walked into school that day and killed his classmates. She has lost her marriage, several jobs and now most of her former friends see her as a pariah. She works two shifts a day at the local textile mill in order to send her remaining son, David (Chris Marquette) to a private school. She cannot bare to see her son, now the same age as his brother was during the shootings, attend the same school. Desperate for money she consents to giving a news station a paid interview on the eve of the incident’s third anniversary. During the interview Janet is dazed, unprepared not just for the questions but her on lack of answers. Janet and David are constantly at odds with one another. When David leaves after a fight she rips apart his room looking for any indication that he might be getting in trouble. When David is expelled from the private school, with the return of the tuition, he has to face his worse fear, going to the school where his legacy will be the deadly actions of his brother. Once at the school David finds a girl, Talley (Nikki Reed). She asks a few questions about his brother but really does seem to be interested in who David actually is. Things with the neighborhood boil over on the anniversary when a group of people plant red flags on the lawns of the victims. Janet’s lawn receives an ominous black flag and soon all the repressed emotions spill out into the streets. Also in Ellisburgh is a police officer Frank (Tony Goldwyn). He and his partner where the first on the scene that faithful day. A year ago his partner committed suicide. Now Frank is demonized by the media and many of the parents for failing to prevent the massive loss of life. Frank is despondent, shown in one scene setting in his squad car weeping.

Carter (Forest Whitaker) is a principal in an inner city school in Chicago, Illinois. There are metal detectors and guards at every entrance. Carter’s desk draw holds a growing arsenal of guns and knives confiscated from the students. He moved his family from a nice teaching job in Ohio because he felt he could make a difference in the lives of his students. Although some progress has been made it is too superficial for him. Carter is a man worn out by the process. He is in a job with no satisfaction, the violence continues. At home his wife Sarah (Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon) is always upset. Carter spends all his time at work. When he does come home he can barely say two words to their young son. He is so despondent that he drifts through his day handling pretty fights among the students. One student, Jay (Arlen Escarpeta) is one that has potential. He is one of the brightest students in the school despite the fact that his mother is so worn out taking care of his two younger brothers that she barely notices Jay. He has a night job at a gas station in a very bad part of town. He spends his shift locked in a cage hiding behind the bullet proof metal when danger threatens. Because of this Jay feels it necessary to carry a gun. He hides it outside the school to avoid the metal detectors but is eventually caught by Carter.

The third story is set in Charlottesville, Virginia. Mary Ann Wilk (Linda Cardellini) is trapped by family tradition. She has to attend the University of Virginia because everyone on her family did. She also has to work in her grandfather Carl’s (Donald Sutherland) gun story, because of the same tradition. In the three months she has worked for her grandfather Mary Ann has become distant and depressed. It is more than just the typical freshman angst, she feels trapped by her family and distant from everything familiar. When Mary Ann has to rescue her friend Cicely (Schuyler Fisk) from a date rape at a frat party she begins to wonder if she should carry a gun. Mary Ann goes for lesions in a gun range to learn how to shoot.

Like many independent films this one sports a cast that is dedicate to the project and it shows in their performances. Marcia Gay Harden gives one of the most powerful performances of her career. She is washed out from the guilt over the actions of one son and the need to protect the remaining one. She is unable to sustain any form or relationship with men, her friends in the neighborhood no longer want anything to do with her. Chris Marquette may be familiar for his role in ‘Joan of Arcadia’ but here he shows that he is a rising and gifted actor. His interactions with Harden are some of the most powerful scenes in the film. They are a mother and son that love each other but their relationship is now defined but the actions of his late brother. Tony Goldwyn plays Frank as an man who tries to hide his doubts and remorse and it is grinding him down. He is isolated, unable to find any form of help. Nikki Reed is great even in a smaller role here. At her tender age she has already co-written and stared in Thirteen and here she continues to show how much talent she has. Forest Whitaker is one of those actors that constantly provide the best performances possible. His portrayal of Carter is magnificent. He plays him as a man who started out full of hopes but now is an empty shell. The pressures of his job and home live have left him at the edge of despair. Linda Cardellini has not been afforded the best showcases fro her talent. She showed her comical side on the television series ‘Freaks and Geeks’ but here she is a young woman uncertain of life. She hates guns on principle but circumstances push her into facing reality in a different way than she could have ever imagined.

This is a powerful albeit flawed freshmen effort for writer-director Aric Avelino. He has talent but still has to hone his skills. I greatly look forward to his future work because of this promise of greatness. The editing is choppy; some scenes appear to be missing a few frames. While this may have been done to keep the audience off balance it is used just a bit too often. The film has few resolutions for the characters. While this may reflect the reality of this topic the audience spends 95 minutes becoming emotionally invested in the characters and never see how things work out. On the positive side Avelino’s use of the color pallet is nothing short of inspired. For the Oregon story he drains most of the color out of the film. It reflects Janet perfectly, a woman drained of everything in her life. For the Chicago scenes the blues are pushed giving the scenes a cold, isolated feel. In the Virginia story the color is pushed to the yellows providing a false brightness. Avelino takes on a difficult topic from three different viewpoints without compromising any of the stories. He is a man to watch out for.

Once again the Independent Film Channel in collaboration with Genius Products has scored a hit with a DVD release. Not only is this an important film to watch they give it the attention it deserves. IFC constantly showcases little gems like this. Sure the film is not perfect but IFC allows the audience to view a film they most likely missed in the art house theatrical run. The 1.78:1 non-anamorphic video is close to perfection. The audio is presented in a rich and satisfying Dolby 5.1. While the sub woofer remains mostly silent the other speakers work well together to provide a realistic sound stage. This is a film that should be watched no matter what side of the gun debate you are on. Put aside the facts and numbers for awhile and concentrate on what really maters, the people. This is what is so great about independent film, creative people who are passionate about a topic use their crafts to express themselves.

Posted 8/27/06