Reunion (2008) - By Brian Morton

Film Reviews: Reunion (2008) - By Brian Morton
Posted on Tuesday, December 02, 2008 @ 15:17:10 Mountain Standard Time by Duane

Columbine is a national tragedy that made us all pause and think about the society we live in and what's going on with the youth of today. But, as time has gone by, we've all returned to normal and it's just another tragedy that we're reminded on annually when the news trots out those 'day in history' segments. One filmmaker, though, has taken the tragedy and turned it into something that should have us all thinking a bit more, and taking the lessons that can come from something this terrible event, and keeping them a little more in the front of our minds. The filmmaker is Adam Kargman, and the movie is Reunion, and it's a piece of filmmaking that transcends entertainment.

Reunion is the story of the 13 lives that ended on that April day. We're at a 10 year high school reunion and we're invited to see what's been going on with everyone. One graduate is a soldier and has been to Afghanistan, one is an author and has had success with a novel, others have just gone on to have families and jobs, but none are less significant, no matter what their contributions to society. As we get to see each person and what they've done with their lives, we feel like we know them a bit more, only to discover that these are the lives that might have been, these are the 13 people who never got to graduate, who never made it out of that high school that day because of the actions of two psychotic maniacs, and it will make you sit back and think not of the tragedy itself, but of the tragedy of these young lives cut so short for no reason at all.

Kargman has done a ton of research so that it is not only good, but accurate as well. He says in a press kit "For the casual viewer, the film tells a series of visually charged stories. But the film is packed with details, and they’re there for a reason. When you see Kelly [one of the victims] driving a Mustang convertible, it’s because the real Kelly wanted to drive that car someday. When you see Kyle working in an ice cream shop, it’s because he loved ice cream…. The average person may not pick up on those things, but those who knew these people will. For me, the film had to work on both levels and play to both audiences." and it does. Knowing that, although this is clearly fiction, it could have been real, makes Reunion a very powerful experience. Adam will hit the festival circuit this year, in honor of the 10th anniversary of the tragedy, and I can't imagine a better way to remember it than to celebrate the lives of these people instead of remembering the killers! I'm giving Reunion four out of four cigars, because it's a movie that will bring you to tears, it's truly a great tribute to people who are sadly forgotten by the media.

You can find out more about this touching movie by going to the Round Hay Garden web page. So, until next time, remember that just because the budget is low, doesn't make the movie bad.