After the events of the Sandy Hook Massacre, a priest from Dunblane, Scotland, reached out to offer his support to a priest in the area. Lessons from a School Shooting: Notes from Dunblane follows these two men as they sort through their personal sadness and how gun violence has harmed their congregations. The resulting documentary is a long look at the loss these two communities endured.
LESSONS FROM A SCHOOL SHOOTING: NOTES ON DUNBLANE: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
The Gist: On March 13, 1996 and December 14, 2012, two shocking tragedies changed two different countries forever. 1996 saw the Dunblane massacre in Scotland, a school shooting that eventually led to public outrage and the eventual ban of most guns in the UK. 2012 brought with it the Sandy Hooks Elementary School massacre in the United States. But this national tragedy didn’t lead to widespread changes in gun regulation for America. As the documentary notes, over 1,600 mass shooting have happened since Sandy Hook.
Lessons form a School Shooting follows two different priests from across the Atlantic who have endured the same traumas. Father Bob Weiss, who had to bury eight children of the Sandy Hook massacre, seeks solace from Father Basil O’Sullivan, whose congregation was torn apart after the horrors of Dunblane. Both holy men try to find comfort through their new friendship, recover from the emotional weight of these terrors, and figure out what the best direction is for their congregations in this 23-minute documentary.
What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: There are traces of Kim A. Snyder’s past work in Lessons from a School Shooting. The director’s deep dive into the Sandy Hook shooting, Newtown, comes to mind. But at its core, this short documentary is more of a personal study about these two priests than a political film. It’s more like Bill Cunningham New York than Bowling for Columbine.
Performance Worth Watching: It’s comforting to watch Father Basil O’Sullivan. As the priest tries to work through why these terrible things keep happening, he wholeheartedly condemns firearms. But he criticizes gun ownership in a way that’s both level-headed and respectful.
Memorable Dialogue: It’s less of a specific line and more of an emotional response. While Father Bob Weiss talks about burying the victims of Sandy Hook, he starts to cry.
Single Best Shot: Father Basil O’Sullivan walking among the tombstones of the Dunblane massacre victims is humbling.
Our Take: What happened in Dunblane and Sandy Hook is unmistakably horrific. These needless tragedies tore apart families, communities, and nations. They need to be remembered, and they need to be discussed. But it’s unclear exactly what Lessons from a School Shooting wants to say about these mass shootings.
Despite its name, there really aren’t many lessons in Lessons from a School Shooting. The documentary nods heavily toward making the conclusion that Scotland hasn’t seen as many school shootings as the U.S. because of the U.K.’s intense gun regulation. This is a fair point and one that many, many academics, documentary filmmakers, journalists, and everyday people have made. But Lessons from a School Shooting never truly drills down this fact nor its own purpose. Instead it mourns for the loss of these innocent lives.
There is value in grief. Exploring just how impactful these tragedies are is deeply important both when it comes to attempting to better our futures and honor those whose lives were needlessly lost. However, this film doesn’t offer a different angle in its re-examination of trauma or much in terms of an explanation. It’s sad and somber, but without a clear purpose it doesn’t stand as a particularly heartfelt documentary.