Review of April Showers (2009) by Matt A — 06 Jul 2009

From new filmmaker Andrew Robinson -- an ex-Columbine student who attended during the infamous April 1999 tragedy -- comes a movie that most people still believe should be unfilmable: the 1999 Columbine school shooting. Of course, because the material is such a sensative subject, there were films made that were loosely based on the Columbine shootings: "Elephant," "Zero Day," "Duck - Carbine High Massacre," and "Home Room." However, none have come as close to the actual Columbine as "April Showers.".

I've read all the books, seen all the evidence, read through all the eyewitness accounts and researched all the special investigative reports about that dreadful day. Although it is never actually said that the school is Columbine and that the film is "based on actual events" with names changed and characters added for dramatic effect, "April Showers" is probably as close as the filmmaking community will get to the retelling of the Columbine tragedy. Who's to say if in about 10 or more years, some new filmmaker comes along and does an exact, no-holds-barred movie on the event, but, so far, this is the best of the bunch. And who better to do it than a filmmaker who was attending the school at the time of the shootings.

Using mostly unknown actors (with the exception of Daryl Sabara (from the "Spy Kids" trilogy), Tom Arnold and Illeana Douglas, all giving riveting dramatic performances), Robinson fully sets out to fully capture the heartwrenching emotions that well up after such a tragedy, asking the enduring question: What happens now? After the camera crews and journalists have stopped filming and calling, how do we pick up the pieces -- in the community and within ourselves? These questions are asked in abundence from every side of the spectrum as we not only see the main character, Sean, deal with the death of his girlfriend April, but also see various other characters deal with the loss of friends -- both the victims and the killer.

I was a bit surprised that Robinson actually filmed the event as, from the description, I thought it would merely be about the aftershocks of the tragedy. However, he shot the event in a way that was neither exploitive nor graphic. "April" is an emotionally gripping, haunting film. So much happens within the first half hour that I was expecting the film to end at any moment without fully satisfying my emotional investment (something that disappointingly happens quite frequently with indie films). But, to my surprise, the movie kept going and each character's journey was satisfyingly fulfilled. I also liked the fact that the shooter was not the major focus in this film, but more of the victims and particularly the survivors. Kelly Blatz, who plays lead character Sean, and Rachel Lien, who plays April's best friend Jessica, are both superb and should be in many more movies. And composer Dominik Rausch's score is hypnotically beautiful and memorable all the way through. My only issue with the film was that there wasn't enough focus on characters whose impacts would've increased the story: namely Tom Arnold's math teacher Mr. Blackwell (who mirrors Dave Sanders) and the briefly featured Vicki (played by Janel Parrish), who I wonder how she fit in amongst these characters. It seemed like they had great introductions only to be prematurely dropped from the overall story. I also was hoping for slightly more on the budding romance between Sean and April. However, since the time frame of this film is one school week, and there were flashbacks that could still give you a decent idea of their relationship, I guess that their scenes didn't leave too much out and wasn't too lacking.

Nevertheless, "April Showers" is a tremendously emotional movie that will take hold of you (particularly if you're a parent) long after the credits have stopped rolling. This is an intense piece of filmmaking with beautiful cinematography by Aaron Platt. I look forward to more of Mr. Robinson's work.