In a year of excellent documentaries—Cameraperson, The Witness, O.J: Made in America—Tower is a film of immense emotional heft. The film serves as a formal exercise in collective memory, a memorial recording both the horrors of human depravity as well as the redemptive courage that can emerge out of such horrors. Brisk yet meditative, this animated documentary is a paradox and a parable playing out on screen, both in its narrative and formal elements.
In retelling the tragic mass shooting which occurred on the campus of the University of Texas in August of 1966, Tower focuses not the violence and terror, rather it emphasizes the humanity of the victims as they recall that day. The film’s rotoscoping aesthetic at once distances the audience from the events—we are seeing animations of actors portraying what happened on that day in 1966—and allows for an empathetic depth that might not have been possible through typical documentary formats.
It’s a real-life Good Samaritan parable and an ethical Rorschach test, a “what would you do to help a stranger?” in such a dire and urgent situation. — Joel Mayward (Cinemayward)
Arts & Faith Lists:
2016 Arts & Faith Ecumenical Jury — #10
2023 Top 25 Spiritually Significant Documentaries — #7