American Tragedy (2019)

*Get "American Tragedy" on Amazon here*
*Get A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy by Sue Klebold on Amazon here*
*Get Mindfulness Workbook for Kids: 60+ Activities to Focus, Stay Calm, and Make Good Choices by Hannah Sherman, LCSW on Amazon here*
*Get Columbine by Dave Cullen on Amazon here*

This polarizing documentary tells the story of Sue Klebold, the mother of Columbine school shooter Dylan Klebold, and her efforts to come to terms with what her son did that changed a nation.

Josh Sabey talks to Sue, but no one else in the family. She is still trying to understand what her son was thinking, and her reactions to the raging hatred and lawsuits that were generated. She visits the memorials, looking into the forever high school-age photos of most of her son's victims. She speaks to people now (she was not renumerated for this documentary), bearing her soul, and talking about the signs she and her husband missed. She is an advocate for mindfulness and good mental health, even in kindergarten-age classrooms. Many people don't remember that Columbine happened before social media became a force, and a detriment, in our lives, so blame fell squarely on the Klebold and the Eric Harris families. The film features reenactments of Sue and her husband finding out about the shooting and its aftermath, which seem to be universally hated by many viewers from what I have read online.

The actual shooting is barely touched on because this documentary is not about the minutiae of that horrible day. The documentary is about a mother and the horrors brought on by her son and his friend. It is also about mental illness and suicide. If this could happen to a seemingly normal family, why couldn't it happen to you or a family you're close to? No one is immune, suicide and mental illness has affected everyone, my family included. Mental illness is still brushed aside today, with its effects not just felt in violent situations. Homelessness, PTSD, substance abuse, and self-harm are some of the major issues that can occur, but many people suffer in silence when their condition or the condition of a family member doesn't seem "that bad," (usually covered by the phrase "get over it"). Sue had to confront what happened, and is working to change things. One interview subject pointed out that the national attitude about smoking finally changed, despite the millions of dollars in advertising and propaganda from giant tobacco corporations. Why can't we mainstream mental illness conversations without being embittered, mocked, ostracized, or looked down upon, especially in the narcissistic world of social media?

I found the reenactments unobtrusive and helpful in explaining what Sue was going through. Mary Dyer does a very good job portraying Sue, and their physical resemblance is uncanny. One strong scene portrays Dyer as Sue hanging in midair, portraying the helplessness of dealing with mental situations. Sue doesn't push an agenda, but in this divided nation each side is going to find something to nitpick about the film- I read some of the comments on a film database site, and while everyone can have a different take on a piece of art or media, some of the arguments were way off, in my point of view ("get over it..."). I would hope we can agree that Columbine was a terrible, as was every school shooting before and after, every life taken in hatred, and so on but we still get into arguments over semantics, race, finger pointing, elitism, and the Constitution instead of facing the real issues. Sue is ringing the alarm bell about mental health in this country, and it's a cause we should all take up and endorse instead of angrily starting a comment with "yeah, but...". Sue Klebold loved her son, but that love could not stop the absolute worst thing that could happen to a parent's child.

Stats:
(2019) 80 min. (8/10)
-Written and Directed by Josh Sabey
-Featuring Sue Klebold, Lisa Belkin, Liza Long, Mary Dyer, Zack Nick, Paul Rohrer, Jess Shatkin, Eric Saliim, Rae Lundy, Tom Insel, Robert Creigh Deeds, Anthony Biglan, Tiffany Tate Aragon
-(Not Rated, but I would equate this to a PG-13 film)- Some physical violence, some profanity, very strong adult situations, tobacco use
-Media Viewed: Streaming