"The Fallout" handles tough subject matter with sensitivity and honesty

The Fallout (2022) 

Depicting the traumatic fallout of a school shooting from the perspective of two teenage girls, “The Fallout” sounds like a hard sell. Actress-turned-filmmaker Megan Park makes her auspicious writing-directing debut with this wrenching, empathetic drama that takes on heavy material but doesn’t feel like a hopeless bummer. It’s easy to see why this was awarded the Grand Jury Prize for Narrative Feature Film at the SXSW Film Festival because this is a special debut of which to be proud.

One regular morning in a suburban California high school, Vada (Jenna Ortega) goes to the girls’ bathroom, where pretty rich girl Mia (Maddie Ziegler) is putting on make-up in the mirror. Suddenly, they hear gunshots being fired in the hallway. They hide together in the bathroom stall and ride out the horror. After this traumatic event, Vada doesn’t know how to rebound. While Vada’s best friend Nick (Will Romp) feels like he needs to make a social change, Vada heals in a different way. When Mia reaches out to Vada, they begin hanging out together at Mia’s North Bay house while her two dads are out of town. If anything good has come from this tragedy, it’s this unlikely friendship, but will anyone ever recover?

There’s a lot to be said for an actor directing other actors, and director Megan Park makes her first film an excellent showcase for 19-year-old Jenna Ortega and her breadth of talent. Ortega (who can also be seen in 2022’s “Scream”) is the real deal, and it’s her unaffected work here as Vada that makes her a beyond-her-years talent with her own individuality. Not only emotionally, Ortega takes on a physical challenge when Vada goes on an Ecstasy high in school and has to leave class. Her sliding down a staircase head-first proves her comedic abilities, recalling Leonardo DiCaprio’s delayed 'lude high in “The Wolf of Wall Street.” Maddie Ziegler is also terrific as Mia, proving that no one ever really knows what’s going on in another person’s life, and she gets to demonstrate her dancing abilities in an organic way. Surrounding them are solid supporting performances from John Ortiz and Julie Bowen as Vada’s parents, and Shailene Woodley as Vada’s therapist. 

The incident itself is staged from Vada and Mia’s horrifying points of view from a bathroom stall. Before the girls are joined by Quinton (Niles Fitch), a fellow classmate covered in his own brother’s blood, they cower on top of the toilet seat as the gunshots keep multiplying in the hallway outside the restroom. It’s a harrowing moment that never feels exploitative. Director Park gets to showcase a dreamy compositional eye and knack for pacing. Her script also has an authentic ear for how Generation-Z teens communicate, not only through text messages, but aloud using the words “chill” and “low-key.” 

How “The Fallout” handles its tough subject matter with sensitivity and understated intimacy makes it resonate. To call this a tearjerker could make it seem cheap and manipulative. And what very well could have been just a better-acted ABC Afterschool Special, it’s more emotionally honest and moving than that, and not unfunny. The film doesn’t pretend to have any quick, easy answers or even a cathartic resolution because there’s no perfectly worded brochure on how to process trauma and move forward, coming out the other side. 

Grade: B +

Warner Bros. released “The Fallout” (92 min.) to stream on HBO Max on January 28, 2022.