Bad Film with a Great Concept

I don't know if I can recommend this rather limp, poorly-made (the editing and cinematography are particularly uninspiring) and not terribly well-acted (and somewhat miscast) Netflix movie, but I certainly commend it, and likely the book it was adapted from, for taking a fresh, intriguing and even subversive approach to school shootings and politically progressive narratives.

I must first preface this by saying I am *staunchly* anti-gun, and staunchly pro-gun control (and yes, I'll also confess that I'm not American, which will no doubt cause some of you to argue that US gun culture is "none of my business").

Still, I appreciated that this film dared to suggest that the victims of a school shooting, and at least one of the survivors who went on to be a leading gun control lobbiest, weren't necessarily the nicest people in the world. Of course, NO ONE deserves to be killed; least of all children. But I also think there's a tendency to present the victims of high school shootings and other man-made tragedies, as ultra-pure and entirely blameless victims, rather than interrogate the possibility that the school shooters, although wrong to commit such acts of terrorism, may have in fact been responding to bullying, mistreatment or abuse. This is the controversial question that this film at least poses (albeit in a rather shallow and somewhat half-hearted way). It also poses the equally 'problematic' question for many of my fellow progressive leftists, which is whether narrative should ever take precedence over facts? If one person's experience (i.e. their victimisation, including, say, sexual assault) is 'inconvenient' or even 'damaging' to a particularly 'progressive' narrative (e.g. gun control), why should they be asked to remain quiet for the 'greater good'? See, for instance, the silence over certain politicians', including certain Presidents', behaviour/indiscretions.

Like I say, not a great film (unfortunately it devolves into a self-actualisation melodrama about a successful and well-to-do woman's dilemma over marrying her blueblood boyfriend or pursuing her journalism career), but at least one that dares to ask difficult questions.