His Mother

A woman frantically tries to prevent a terrible tragedy.

This tense short thriller explores an issue that has been a common occurrence in the United States during recent times: mass shootings.

The film's entire narrative involves a middle-aged woman (Lind) driving her car, desperately attempting to locate her teenage son, Harrison (Irving). The reason for this is because she has just viewed a disturbing email from her boy, in which he states that his life is not worth living, that the world has been cruel to him and he is going to retaliate and end it all. Her mission is to find him and convince him not to go ahead with his plans. While she drives, she makes and receives phone calls from a variety of individuals including her husband, Jason (Moffett), Harrison's psychiatrist, a police officer and Harrison himself.

Before analysing the serious themes that are present in this short, the author of this review would like to point out how effectively it works as a thriller. The film does not take long to reveal what is worrying the driver, so almost from the start, the suspense has the viewer at the edge of their seat. The screenplay is a desperate race against time, with the woman trying to help the police locate her son before it is too late. As time goes by and she speaks with one person after the other via her phone, more and more clues are brought to light and it becomes clear that the danger is real and time is running out.

The whole story takes place inside the car and the camera never leaves the interior, making the viewer feel like they are in the vehicle with her and thus making the viewer feel her desperation. Since the mother is the only character seen on-screen (with the exception of a couple of children), Lind's performance is vital in order for the film to work and she succeeds perfectly at making her character's emotions realistic, at creating a person who cares deeply for her son and makes every effort to prevent him from harming anyone or himself.

Now, regarding the themes, as mentioned, this film revolves around a potential mass shooting and instead of gun control, it focuses mainly on what causes them, what the warning signs are, what fails to prevent them and the effects it has on the perpetrator's loved ones. From the explanation of the potential perpetrator, Harrison, it is indicated that feelings of torment and depression can lead to such vile acts. Several warning signs that are suggested include getting into trouble at school, mental health issues and expressing dark thoughts about the world. Regarding failure to notice the threat, it is implied that blame could be put on people's failure to detect warning signs, which is obvious here by Jason denying that his son might be dangerous and a welfare check on Harrison that falsely declares that there is no threat. It should be pointed out that the location where the story's crime might take place is a university, which is a common place for these kind of atrocities. Regarding the consequences it has on the people who care about the ones who commit such vile acts, Lind's powerful performance clearly reveals how much it tears them apart.

The tension is supported significantly by Eli Keszler's ominous and interesting score and Matt Clegg deserves commendations for the fantastic cinematography.

Scalia makes her directorial debut with a thriller that is a roller coaster ride that never loses its firm grip. It is a story about a devastating action that is about to take place and it is told through the perspective of the mother of the potential perpetrator. It is a hard-hitting film with strong messages and it is a very powerful and memorable viewing.