The first thing that strikes you while watching Mass is the setup and location. A church staff
member named Judy arrives at a house of worship and sets right to the task of preparing a
room for a very important meeting. It’s clear she wants everything to be perfect and anticipates the arrival of the guests. Stacked chairs, some foldout tables, and the “second best” piano are the only furnishings in the room. Christian symbols of torture, resurrection, and forgiveness adorn the walls. Four people arrive for a difficult conversation that all of them have agreed to, but which everyone is dreading.
A mass shooting six years ago unites the four parents who show up – Jay and Gail Perry, the
parents of Evan, one of the victims of the shooting, and Richard and Linda, the parents of
Hayden, the perpetrator. Fran Kranz could have made this film about how the whole society
grieves when such tragedies occur. Instead, he makes a bold choice to focus on four people –- two of whom still love a criminal who has caused much grief and suffering.
While both parents lost a child, the world has been especially cruel to Richard and Linda. Their child chose to end his own life after killing several of his fellow students. This has left them to deal with the mess he made, with media attention speculating on how these parents failed at their job by raising a killer. Father Richard carries a cynicism that acts as a shield around him, but mother Linda has endured a level of ostracism in society because she still loves the son whom everyone has demonized.
Everyone enters the room wanting answers, wanting to be understood, and wanting to have
their say. Each of them wants to break through so they can truly heal and get unstuck. While the rest of the world has continued to turn, these four haven’t moved on past their dominant stage of grief (anger, depression, sorrow, and denial). With all the legal proceedings out of the way, time continues to punish these four. This conversation may hold the key, if only they can come together. Highlighting the ways that communal lament can heal in powerful ways, Mass is a breathtaking vision of forgiveness that ends with the healing balm of music and a peace that surpasses all understanding. — Lindsey Dunn (2024)
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