CW: mental health, suicide
Unfortunate to see several other reviewers who came into this documentary with their minds already made up with preconceived notions and 20+ years of misinformation about Columbine.
This documentary essentially covers the main takeaways from Sue Klebold's book A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy. I highly recommend watching this doc, but Sue's book should be essential reading for all parents, family members, educators and lawmakers. I listened to the audiobook (narrated by Sue herself) a few years ago, and in all my years of avid reading, I've never read another book that sits in the back of my mind every single day like hers.
I dealt with suicidal depression as a teenager and I'm now a 26-year-old who still lives with depression, anxiety and OCD. When I finished A Mother's Reckoning, I immediately recommended it to my mom. We've never had a great relationship, but I wanted to see if she could recognize any of myself as a teenager in Sue's descriptions of Dylan. She texted me after she'd read it and I asked, "Did it help you understand why I acted like I did as a teenager?" And she said, "Yes, definitely. I thought about that a lot." The "laziness," the oversleeping, the loss of interest, the irritability, the withdrawal...so many symptoms Sue described applied to my own experience with depression.
I find it so inspiring that Sue has dedicated her life to fighting brain disease in the hopes of preventing any more tragedies like Columbine and to help us all improve our mental well-being and our relationships with each other. I recommend her book every chance I get, and those who do read it have reached out to me afterward to express what a profound impact it had on them.
I met Sue in the spring of 2019 after attending a symposium where she and survivors of other mass shootings spoke on "survival and moving forward." I expressed my thanks to her for writing her book and said I wished it had been around when I was in high school for my parents to read. But then she looked at the friend who was with me, who happens to bear a striking resemblance to Dylan, and said, "You remind me of my son Dylan, which of course just breaks my heart." And I wished I could have given her a hug.
Despite the (quite irresponsible) media frenzy, all the police reports and countless other Columbine documentaries, Dylan is still Sue's son, and she's clearly still grappling with the circumstances of his death. However, she's also using her experience to help inspire change in how we view and treat mental health, and I find her strength to do that incredibly admirable.
I know this may come off as mostly a review of Sue's book, but this documentary is very closely tied to the book. Ideally, I think everyone should watch and read (or listen to) both, but if you're not a reader, you'll still get the main gist of the book from this film.
(Oh, and I couldn't believe how much the actress who portrayed Sue actually looked like her!)
Unfortunate to see several other reviewers who came into this documentary with their minds already made up with preconceived notions and 20+ years of misinformation about Columbine.
This documentary essentially covers the main takeaways from Sue Klebold's book A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy. I highly recommend watching this doc, but Sue's book should be essential reading for all parents, family members, educators and lawmakers. I listened to the audiobook (narrated by Sue herself) a few years ago, and in all my years of avid reading, I've never read another book that sits in the back of my mind every single day like hers.
I dealt with suicidal depression as a teenager and I'm now a 26-year-old who still lives with depression, anxiety and OCD. When I finished A Mother's Reckoning, I immediately recommended it to my mom. We've never had a great relationship, but I wanted to see if she could recognize any of myself as a teenager in Sue's descriptions of Dylan. She texted me after she'd read it and I asked, "Did it help you understand why I acted like I did as a teenager?" And she said, "Yes, definitely. I thought about that a lot." The "laziness," the oversleeping, the loss of interest, the irritability, the withdrawal...so many symptoms Sue described applied to my own experience with depression.
I find it so inspiring that Sue has dedicated her life to fighting brain disease in the hopes of preventing any more tragedies like Columbine and to help us all improve our mental well-being and our relationships with each other. I recommend her book every chance I get, and those who do read it have reached out to me afterward to express what a profound impact it had on them.
I met Sue in the spring of 2019 after attending a symposium where she and survivors of other mass shootings spoke on "survival and moving forward." I expressed my thanks to her for writing her book and said I wished it had been around when I was in high school for my parents to read. But then she looked at the friend who was with me, who happens to bear a striking resemblance to Dylan, and said, "You remind me of my son Dylan, which of course just breaks my heart." And I wished I could have given her a hug.
Despite the (quite irresponsible) media frenzy, all the police reports and countless other Columbine documentaries, Dylan is still Sue's son, and she's clearly still grappling with the circumstances of his death. However, she's also using her experience to help inspire change in how we view and treat mental health, and I find her strength to do that incredibly admirable.
I know this may come off as mostly a review of Sue's book, but this documentary is very closely tied to the book. Ideally, I think everyone should watch and read (or listen to) both, but if you're not a reader, you'll still get the main gist of the book from this film.
(Oh, and I couldn't believe how much the actress who portrayed Sue actually looked like her!)