Mass (2021) User Reviews

The best acted film of the year.

[MOscarbradley · 8/10 · 28 January 2022]

"Mass", in the title of Fran Kranz's excellent debut film, stands for mass murder but it could also mean the Catholic Mass, which is a sacrament, since one of the subjects of this film is forgiveness. Two sets of parents meet in the basement of a church; they are the parents of boys involved in a school shooting, those of the killer and those of one of the victims. What is the real purpose of their meeting? Closure, forgiveness, to vent anger, to divest themselves of pain, to try to understand? Kranz's film covers all of these and is blessed with an extraordinary cast of four. Reed Birney and Ann Dowd are the parents of the killer and Jason Isaacs and Martha Plimpton are the parents of the victim.

It is a theatrical concept and yes, it does feel like a filmed play with well rehearsed arguments but the cast raise onto a different level; painfully we feel like eavesdroppers on their grief and that is Kranz's achievement. Apart from a few shots at the beginning and end we never leave the one room and the cast mostly sit around a table and they talk. This is hardly a film to pack them in on a Saturday night but it is still one fo the best films of the year and certainly it has the best ensemble cast.

both sides of the table

[ferguson-6 · 8/10 · 7 October 2021]

Greetings again from the darkness. A normal life is no longer possible. The question becomes, how does one go on in the aftermath of an unimaginable (yet all too common) tragedy that takes the life of one's child? This the feature film debut of writer-director Fran Kranz. He's an actor you'd likely recognize from JUNGLELAND and THE CABIN IN THE WOODS. Rather than choose some lightweight project to kick off his filmmaking career, Franz serves up a gut-wrenching confrontation that would work just as well (if not even better) on stage in live theater.

It's an awkward and maladroit opening as two church volunteers (Breeda Wool and Kagen Albright) and another woman (Michelle N Carter, who's either an attorney or a therapist), are preparing an isolated room for what is clearly a high-stakes meeting. The room will have a table and four chairs, and enough refreshments for 20 people. Almost the entire movie will take place in this room, around that table and away from the church choir practice.

The four anticipated guests arrive, and it's two couples - four people uneasy and unsure about the meeting. After some initial small talk, we finally learn Evan, the son of Martha Plimpton and Jason Isaacs, was shot by Hayden, the son of Ann Dowd and Reed Birney. It's been six years since the Columbine-like school shooting and both couples are seeking closure to the immense grief they've carried. There is also the overwhelming burden of guilt and the weight of blame.

These are four recognizable and accomplished actors working in ways we typically only see on stage. The always superb Ms. Dowd ("The Handmaid's Tale") and the often villainous, yet always effective, Mr. Isaacs ("The OA") are truly at the top of their game, which is to take nothing away from the performances of Mr. Birney ("House of Cards") and Ms. Plimpton (Keith Carradine's daughter, and from a child actor in THE GOONIES to a series lead in "Raising Hope"). Their interactions mostly feel grounded in emotions, and we as viewers find ourselves dragged right into their personal misery.

A flower arrangement, a box of Kleenex, bagels, piano music, and a Christmas photo all play a role, but this is an actor's showcase, and director Kranz gives each their time in the spotlight. These are four people who consider themselves good parents, and one has the fortitude to say it aloud, "I raised a murderer." This is couples therapy re-imagined, and it's a necessary but painful step for four people who have endured more than any parent should endure. Both sides of the table highlight our worst fears as parents, but equally as important, is the need for forgiveness - of others and ourselves. This one will likely stick with you for a while.

Bleecker Street will release MASS in theaters on October 8th, 2021.

A painful watch, but compelling viewing.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 26 December 2022]

Two couples sit down together in a perfectly well prepared room, to discuss a tragedy that links the four people.

A masterclass in acting, no special effects, no big budget, just a talented group of actors, and a fantastic script.

It's a very powerful film, it does something that many forget to do, it gives you both sides of the coin, the impact on both parties, the obviously injured, and the silently injured. It makes for a very thought provoking watch.

Mass maybe slow to start, a little curious, you may, as I did, be scratching your head wondering what's happening, but after thirty minutes, you get the moment, the revelation, the reason for this inconvenience and awkward meeting.

Truths, revelations, consequences, anger, when this film hits, it hits hard.

I can't, and won't pick out a single performance, all were equally terrific, but it was great to see Jason Isaacs in a role like this, showing just how good he is.

Not one to watch if you're a little low, or having a bad day, as the content is pretty bleak, but I'd you're intent on watching some first rate acting, this is for you.

8/10.

The power that perfectly written dialogue can possess

[jtindahouse · 10/10 · 10 January 2022]

I love nothing more than when a film that takes place almost entirely inside one room is able to be infinitely more powerful and impactful than a film made on a 200 million dollar budget. It's what movie-making has lost in my opinion, the ability to make magic on paper, rather than by throwing special effects and stunts at the screen willy-nilly. 'Mass' is an incredible film.

I'll start by talking about the cast. The script is quite amazing in that it somehow gives each and every one of the main four an exactly equal opportunity to shine. If you said to me which of the four was the star, or even which stood out the most I would struggle to pick one. The each take the limelight when it's on offer, and they each fall back into supporting the others when it's not their turn. The balancing act in this regard is excellent.

The film is like being hit with a sledgehammer in the best way possible (hopefully that makes sense to you). The film is so powerful that it really does feel like you are in these character's positions. Their pain is yours. The film also does a great job of knowing when to reveal information. There was a pointy where I thought to myself that the time was right to let us in on what was going on, and within 60 seconds the film had done just that.

The fact that this is a debut writing/directing effort by Fran Kranz is nothing short of amazing. The dialogue is mesmerising, the pacing is perfect and the class with which the ending was handled (this would not have been an easy film to write the ending for) was classy beyond his years. This is a film not to be missed and very close to the best 2021 had to offer. 10/10.

Damn

[Movi3DO · 10/10 · 31 December 2021]

The world mourned 10. We mourned 11.

Forgive me to say this but in my opinion this movie was very close to be on par with 12 Angry Men. Movies filled entirely of dialogues are usually boring, but few accomplished the task of completely engage while bringing out great emotions from audiences. These ain't even movies, they are more like real-life conversations where you feel like being the same room with actual people.

This 1 hour 50 minutes conversation between two couples trying to deal with the aftermath of a school shooting. It's not only emotional but near the end, it's also incredibly ambitious. While I think some dialogues got a bit overdramatized, the experience was still realistic and intense.

The four main actors didn't feel like actors. When they started to sit down, their facial expressions were enough to fill the room with suspense.

Overall, probably one of the most intense experience this year, and it's just between 4 damaged people. 10/10.

20 Minute Rule Broken

[jmjosmak · 18 August 2022]

Someone major once said: When watching a movie, if you reach the 20 minute mark and you have not liked it yet, you can turn it off. You are not going to like it it. I have seen this true a lot of times. Now with Mass we have a movie that doesn't just defy that rule--but reverses it!

The first 20 minutes of this movie is tedious prattling. The character played by Breeda Wool is quite obnoxious for no reason that serves the ideas of the movie. She overdoes the nervous, apologetic ineffectualness of a sincere do-gooder in the face of human tragedy, which will always be partly unknowable to those who weren't there. And this ineffectual, fussy prattling about the placement of chairs, ect...Goes on for 20 minutes! It's trying to intimate the horror that will be faced, but a cut-out paper heart on a window is to weak an image, too trite, too vague. Fran Kranz's writing fails here. He was clearly trying to be ominous in a gentle way, but that's subtle, hard to do. The scene is crowded with 3 characters when one would have done--for 1 minute, not 20. It is a mundane setting of the scene, nothing more, though it wants to be.

And THEN...at exactly the 20 minute point, the four leads arrive. Although the only significant sympathetic interesting people in this human story don't even show up on camera for 20 minutes, we soon are transported. The next 90 minutes is a brilliant, heartbreaking, heart-expanding quadrologue of horrifying murder, devastating loss. To say Fran Kranz's writing here succeeds astoundingly is an understatement. This is a writer of real human knowing; this approaches greatness. By the end I was in a trance of tragedy, surrendering to the truth of our fallenness. Wow! And the four leads are superb.

So the 20 Minute Rule be darned! The only other movie I remember for this is Cobb, starring Tommy Lee Jones. The first 20 minutes of that is very weak. Then Cobb takes over, through Jones, and it is just fascinating, poetic, tragic, loaded with fate.

As is Mass. My advice: Skip the first 20 minutes and go right to it. I'm not kidding--the opening is terrible but the meat of the movie will nurture your soul. At a price, Ugarte, at a price.

Mass

[JoBloTheMovieCritic · 7/10 · 29 January 2022]

7/10 - hard to watch and packed with the powerful performances (particularly Ann Dowd's), this debut film for writer/director Fran Kranz plays very much like something you would expect to see on the stage but I felt it was a little overlong at times.

Best Movie of the Year?

[evanston_dad · 10/10 · 10 March 2022]

"Mass" just may be my favorite movie of 2021.

It breaks my heart that a movie this good is so little known. As I write this, the 2021 Academy Awards are a couple of weeks away, and "Mass" isn't even on the radar. The four actors in this give better performances than almost every person nominated for an Oscar this year.

"Mass" hurts to watch, but it's so good that I enjoyed the pain. It deeply unsettled me and left me shaken for quite a while afterwards. I didn't want to watch another movie for a week or so after seeing this because I didn't want to replace it in my head with something else too quickly.

I liked everything about this movie so much that I don't really want to single out any one thing. But good grief.... Martha Plimpton and Ann Dowd....that is all.

And that scene with Jason Issacs and the church choir. Oof.

Grade: A+

Superb acting struggles to uphold a ponderous script

[gerardpampalone · 7/10 · 8 April 2022]

An acting tour de force from an incredibly talented cast.

Ann Dowd is a powerhouse. Martha Plimpton a treasure.

Jason Isaacs and Reed Birney exhibit restraint and raw emotion at the same time.

But the script is ponderous. The pacing is deliberate and deadly.

The part of Judy (Breeda Wool) is obsequious and annoying.

And above all, at 1 hour and 52 minutes, this badly needs an editor.

Such fine actors shouldn't have to struggle to hold up such a ponderous script.

An Extremely Well-Acted Chamber Piece

[Oktay_Tuna · 8/10 · 30 December 2021]

Mass is a type of film many people today, wouldn't call a film. Even my father didn't see this as a film but rather as a documentary. The dialogues and the performances are that good. I wouldn't call acting in this film masterful or magnificent. I would just call it real, not realistic. Real. It didn't feel real because if someone were to tell me these things had happened and that they aren't acting I could have believed them. This "film" is not for everybody and that's why I am keeping this review spoiler-free so you go in with the right expectations. This isn't a play like 12 Angry Men. What I mean by that is this doesn't feel like it was written by someone. I would even say this is a lesson on "basic" writing. You put people in a room and you just let them talk. This film does that extremely well thanks to its not phenomenal but "real" cast, meaning performances weren't exaggerated. There is a lot of silence, lots of subtle details and when you start to recognize these things you realize that this may as well be one of the best acted films ever. The writing on the other hand knows how to continue the dialogue which I think is extremely hard, getting from one topic to another especially in the beginning. The writer does that with such ease that the dialogues don't feel scripted. The film is heavy but it doesn't overdramatize which for some people can be a bad thing as it can feel like it is "too real". If you want to see a too real table dialogue between 4 "real people" then watch this film.

great performances

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 4 April 2022]

Jay Perry (Jason Isaacs) and Gail Perry (Martha Plimpton) reluctantly enters a church. They are meeting another couple, Richard (Reed Birney) and Linda (Ann Dowd), to discuss a tragic event.

This is essentially a stripped down play put on film. It has some powerful work from Plimpton and Dowd. Their connection is held a little too tight at the beginning. I get the need for discovery with regards to the tragedy but that's not where the power of the story is derived from. The power comes from their pain. Being coy with the material actually detracts from its power but all that is forgotten with the great performances.

Sundance 2021: Mass is one of the most emotionally challenging films I've ever seen. It's impossible to feel indifferent about it.

[msbreviews · 9/10 · 1 February 2021]

If you enjoy reading my Spoiler-Free reviews, please follow my blog :)

I don't know why now, but I didn't watch Mass as a premiere during Sundance. Instead, I left it to an on-demand viewing for the next day. As soon as I finished Wild Indian (which I sort of liked), I knew I made a mistake. Mass is one of the heaviest, unbreathable, overwhelmingly emotional films I've ever seen. This review was supposed to have been up 24h ago, but I needed to process everything and sleep on it. It's even more shocking considering this is a feature directorial debut for Fran Kranz, who becomes a filmmaker worthy of all my attention from now on.

His impressive direction takes the viewers through a story told in such a raw, authentic way that even a simple room with chairs and a table is enough to hold the audience at the edge of their seats for the entire runtime. Technically, I must praise Kranz's mise-en-scène, which tells a story on its own through the movement of the actors and the position of certain set elements during each scene. From something seemingly irrelevant as the carefully placed flowers and tissues to the extremely tense atmosphere created by the parents' uncomfortable disposition, I finished the movie emotionally exhausted as if someone had drained everything inside me.

This takes me to one of the most compelling, devastating, heartfelt performances I've ever seen in a single film. Every actor incorporates their respective characters in such a giving, passionate manner that I'm sure this movie was as hard to shoot for them as it was for the viewers to watch. Jason Isaacs, Ann Dowd, Martha Plimpton, and Reed Birney all deserve nominations in every awards show worldwide. I can't even pick a standout interpretation because all are genuinely magnificent. They're all so extraordinarily invested in dealing with their characters' struggles that I couldn't stop tearing up after each line of dialogue. Everyone has at least one big moment to shine, and everyone nails that moment in a jaw-dropping way.

However, Mass is far from being an actor showcase. It brings several sensitive, important matters to the table (literally), such as gun violence and the impact of video games on young people, but it also addresses feelings that are tough to deal with: forgiveness, love, the ability to move on, grief/loss, anger, guilt, depression, and so much more. It's one of those films that will undoubtedly impact every single viewer, even if it's in a negative way. As much as I love everything I saw on the screen, it's also a movie I don't see myself watching again, at least not more than two times. It ends in an expectedly positive light, but it might be too emotionally demanding for me in this current phase of my life.

Mass is undoubtedly one of the most emotionally challenging viewings I've ever had to face. Fran Kranz's feature directorial debut tells an unbelievably heavy story through four actors who dive deep into their characters, all delivering career-best performances. Everyone is an incredible standout: Jason Isaacs, Ann Dowd, Martha Plimpton, and Reed Birney deserve a massive campaign to receive every acting award there is. The cast drains every single ounce of emotion within the viewers, transforming a tiny little room with impactful mise-en-scène that tells its own story into an extremely tense, heart-wrenching, almost unbreathable environment. Dozens of meaningful matters and challenging feelings are addressed in the span of little less than two hours, creating a truly devastating film that left me sobbing. It's utterly impossible for someone not to be affected by this movie, even if it's in a negative way. It's one of those films that I'll recommend to everyone and support throughout its eventual release, but I can't deny this might have been my one and only watch of such a brutally demanding, authentic story.

Rating: A

Thought it was good (not great)

[Jeremy_Urquhart · 7/10 · 20 November 2022]

In Mass, two pairs of parents sit down in a room and talk about a tragedy each of the children were involved in some years beforehand. Most of the film is confined to the one room, and besides for the opening and closing scenes, I'd estimate it's just the four main actors on screen for a good 80% of the movie. As a confined setting, dialogue driven movie, it's mostly effective. I don't think it was an absolute slam dunk, and it's hard to explain why.

This is the kind of movie that's really hard to say anything negative about. I don't want to criticise its message or seem like I'm dismissing its themes merely from not giving it a totally glowing review. For what it's going for, it's great. It's the execution and some creative decisions that aren't always perfect. It's also about a heavy and important subject, and truthfully, it's hard to work out why it didn't quite impact me the same way it seems to have impacted others.

There is at least a lot that I liked. It's hard to fault the acting from the four leads here, and I think that overall, the directing and writing were really strong, at least for the first half.

It's the kind of story I was always wondering how they could conclude it, and I don't know, many of the final scenes (and some creative decisions towards the end) didn't really work for me.

The way the film built towards an inevitable confrontation throughout the first half hour was masterful though, in terms of being subtle, realistic, and for the way it showed characters being apprehensive to approach the situation at hand head on. Once they did, the film lost something for me, though the acting was the one element that really worked all the way through; no complaints there.

Decent screenplay, but skirts around the issue

[SevenBillionth · 4/10 · 23 April 2023]

Decent performances and script that captures the horror and aftermath. But messaging and moral is all wrong. Mass seems to say that if we can:

• ban violent video games,
• loved ones can come together and sing coom ba yah,
• have more religion and councilling

then the fact classrooms full of children are routinely butchered can largely be resolved. Or at least we can cope with these revolting events.

There's an elephant in the room carrying a semi-automatic assault rifle. Was barely mentioned. Why is the USA the only democractic country in the world that is unable to hold its government to account, without the proliferation of murder machines? The US constitution is a wonderful thing, but it doesn't have all the answers. The second amendment must be repealed. This film seems to suggest that it's better to attempt to eradicate teenage angst. Good luck with that. To deprioritise the gun issue is to permit endless repetition of this child slaughter.

A Masterclass in acting!

[FilmFlowCritics · 8/10 · 14 October 2021]

This would make a fantastic theatre play, as its exactly that. Sure, some people might say "why should I watch 4 people sit and talk in a room for 2 hours?" ...but this is so much more than this. I think I have found my surprise/underdog Oscar nominee here.

I would even recommend to NOT watch the trailer and experience that journey like it was meat to be watched. You slowly get clues fed and construct what really happened. The movie completely relies on the reverse principle of film making and goes for the "Tell dont show" in this case, which does work though!

Especially Martha Plimpton and Ann Dowd are NAILING it in this movie. This could very well been have a Masterclass session by those two on how to act in a drama.

There is no visual stimulation, but this movie still manages to take you onto an emotional journey and when you think its over....it isnt.

In all honesty, this is not a movie that needs to be seen in the cinema, this is actually perfect for a streaming service. Just give this movie a chance and fully focus on how brilliant those 4 actors are!

I needed that rewatch

[lareval · 10/10 · 30 January 2022]

Upon muy first watch I gave It a solid 7/10. But I kept thinking on this movie, its actors and performances and I rewatched it today. I do not know what on Earth happened to me, but this is truly dramatic beast of a movie. Four people seated around a table will hold your attention and your breathe hostage like the best of thrillers. A masterful movie! 10/10! God bless this rewatch.

A Powerhouse Of Raw Emotions & Riveting Performances

[CinemaClown · 4 February 2022]

A powerhouse of raw emotions & riveting performances, Mass makes for a heartbreaking & emotionally draining drama concerning two grieving parents who meet to discuss a tragedy involving their sons. Treating its subject matter with care & sensitivity, the story unfolds in a single room and is driven by the difficult conversation that ensues between the two couples.

Written & directed by Fran Kranz in what's his directorial debut, this dialogue-driven drama relies entirely on its cast to steer itself past the finish line and all four actors give their all to make it happen. Kranz is patient with his characters, provides them the space they need to breathe & express themselves, and allows their emotions to arise gradually by not hurrying through the process.

Even the awkward phase before the main conversation plays out in its entirety but once we get into the harrowing details of the tragedy that transpired and forever changed their lives, it's then left to Reed Birney, Ann Dowd, Jason Isaacs & Martha Plimpton to bring it all home. And they more than deliver on that note. The bookended scenes are a tad drawn out but its central drama is compelling throughout.

Overall, Mass navigates through loss, pain, trauma, guilt, anger, forgiveness, acceptance & healing and marks a promising start for its debutant filmmaker. The atmosphere is charged, intense & volatile but our character actors sure revel in it, with each turning in a memorable input. All in all, this story of two parents grappling with enormous personal losses who meet together to find some closure is definitely worth your time.

Emotional wrecker

[ragingbull_2005 · 7/10 · 8 January 2022]

Devastating, an emotional wrecker, _Mass_ is drama at its best, with powerhouse performances, slow burn revelations and unforeseen heartbreaks.

Set in one room, with a back and forth between two couples, this is chicken soup for a cinephile's soul. It is well made, topical and will leave you thinking hard about the aftermath of violence.

Hugely recommended.

A breathtaking debut feature

[Sir_AmirSyarif · 8/10 · 24 October 2021]

Fran Kranz's 'Mass' is a breathtaking debut feature about grieving parents that will linger long after the movie is over. The four-person ensemble group delivers fascinating performances while conveying a nail-biting story. Honest, optimistic, and brave, it is profoundly compelling in both the intimacy of its dramatic scope and the universality of the subjects it addresses.

Mass

[henry8-3 · 7/10 · 23 January 2022]

2 couple meet at a small church. 2 of them the parents of a boy murdered in a mass shooting years before, the other 2 the parents of the killer.

This could easily have been overwrought or sentimental or just plain dull. In fact it is never less than completely absorbing as all four look to find some explanation for what occurred. It's impossible to find the best actor amongst them as all impress, each battling to help each other but looking to blame someone or something for what happened. Often these type of intense chamber pieces are too hard to watch, but this just seemed grounded and accessible.

Fantastic acting

[valleyjohn · 9/10 · 12 February 2022]

This is a deeply moving film that follows the lives of two sets of parents who meet up to discuss a tragedy that happened in the past that resulted in the death of both their son's.

What a brilliant film this is . Four great performances from actors who are that the top of their game.

The subject matter is painful. One set of parents son was shot dead in a school shooting and the other are the parents of the shooter .

They discuss with each other whether they could have prevented what happened and even if they are at fault .

The tension is obviously high and the emotions range from guilt to blame to forgiveness.

This definitely has the feel of a stage play as it's four people set in one location but that's definitely not a criticism.

I love the way the parents try their very best , after the small talk , to be civil under very extreme circumstances and obvious tensions boil over at times .

There are two scenes that I absolutely love . One is after all the discussion and emotion the four of them go back to small talk after obvious relief that the meeting is over and the other is when Linda comes back into the hall at the end to tell one last story .

That performance alone , from Ann Dowd deserves an award .

Absolutely stunning .

The sad conclusion I came to after watching Mass is that there are teenagers all over the world that have the same mental health issues as highlighted here but it's only in America that they have access to guns and until that's addressed ( which it never will be) there will continue to be these awful meetings .

Stay with it, it gets better

[stevelivesey67 · 7/10 · 20 January 2022]

Great acting and script. Sort of like an emotionally wrought '12 Angry Men' with the action happening largely in one room.

Drags a little in parts and maybe misses the knockout punch it worked so hard to build up to.

Written for adults. So refreshing

[latinfineart · 9/10 · 14 February 2022]

This was not a particularly easy film to sit through, but it was very rewarding. It was so well written and it just felt like it was created for an adult audience. Gen Z would likely not get this film, but those of us who are okay with films that portray tragic stories will find a film like this very fulfilling.

The performances were fantastic, the direction was great. This is a very, very good film.

Original

[bryangary65 · 7/10 · 3 August 2022]

Good drama played out simply by the four main actors, with particularly Jason Isaacs and Ann Dowd standing out.

It's a emotional story about grief,anger and acceptance.

I raised a murderer

[nogodnomasters · 5/10 · 4 November 2021]

Two couples meet in a neutral church room for a discussion. It takes 36 minutes of absolute boredom before we discover what happened and even then it is just snippets. As it turns out Hayden was responsible for a school shooting which killed 10 kids (and then himself). These are the parents of one of the children looking for answers.

The film only touches on politics, gun control, and violent video games. It is a drama about a child feeling isolated and mental illness. I will say it was well acted, however I found the topic boring. What was with the camera panning outside all the time? Was that a see I am clever, I can make the audience feel isolated?

Guide: F-word.