In the midst of a time when mass shootings are happening more frequently, The Fallout reminded me of the time during quarantine when I first watched this movie. 

The Fallout, directed by Megan Park, is a teen movie about a girl dealing with the aftermath of a horrifying and traumatic school shooting experience. High school student Vada Cavell (Jenna Ortega) goes to the bathroom in the middle of class after her little sister Amelia (Lumi Pollack) calls her when she has her first period. While she’s there, a school shooting occurs. Cavell hides in a stall with her schoolmates Mia (Maddie Ziegler)  and Quinton (Niles Fitch). In the weeks following the incident, Vada becomes depressed and isolated from her family and best friend, Nick (Will Ropp.) 

When I first heard about this movie, it was actually an edit on Tiktok. I was adamant about watching a movie that dealt with school shootings; however, I was intrigued by the trailer. And so, I watched it. 

I warn viewers that this movie can be triggering. 

The Fallout hit me because it talks about a horrible tragedy that happens at the school and deals with trauma and healing. Things like school and mass shootings happen in real life, and it happens almost every day. We shouldn’t have to live our lives through fear. When I saw the movie for the first time, I cried. This was a hard topic to watch, but it’s a great movie. I was so into it that I forgot this wasn’t a documentary about a real-life student’s experience. 

It made me feel emotional because so many lives were lost. In the movie, Vada and Mia share a special bond after the tragedy and become friends. Jenna Ortega and Maddie Ziegler brought the characters to life and showed me what they were going through. It shows how people may deal with the aftermath of such a traumatic event and what takes place afterward. A lot of therapy, but even then, that might not always help. 

I have known Jenna Ortega for a couple of years, and I immediately fell in love with her acting when I first laid my eyes on her. She is one of my favorite actresses and does an incredible job showing what her character is going through. I only know of Maddie Ziegler from Dance Moms, but when I saw her in this movie, I thought,” Wow, that girl can dance and act. Megan Park wrote an incredible and emotional film that is based on true-life events that happen in our everyday lives, and we shouldn’t have to live through this. 

I simply have no other words that can describe what I felt when I watched the movie and what I felt after other than the words emotional. I felt like I had to take a break in the middle because the raw acting from the cast moved me so much. 

This movie may not be for everyone, and it can show that people deal with such things differently. I recommend this film because it would help us not be desensitized by the recurring shootings happening in our society. 

This movie deserves a 10/10.