The Fallout review: HBO Max film features excellent writing, a great soundtrack, and stellar performances

HBO Max adds to their already impressive lineup, The Fallout is now streaming on HBO Max. It is a film about the aftermath of a school shooting and how the survivors cope with grief.  A topic that could be triggering for some.

The Fallout is really a movie about two teenage girls and an exploration of the grief they feel when their reality is turned upside down by loss and hopelessness.  One word comes to mind when thinking about how this film handles such a heavy topic as a school shooting, and that’s restraint

Director Megan Park uses incredible restraint throughout the film and the movie is better for it. No scene shows this restraint more than the shootout in the opening minutes of the film. Park never takes us out into the hallways and classrooms where the shootings occur. Instead she has us tucked away only to see the terror in the eyes of our two protagonists. We only hear the shots in the hallways and the results are more terrifying when we are left to only imagine what is happening.

Jenna Ortega gives an incredible performance in The Fallout

This scene and many others only work so well due to a star making performance by Jenna Ortega (You, Scream ). Ortega plays Vada Cavell an awkward tom boy teen who, along with popular Instagram dance star Mia Reed (played by Maddie Ziegler), hide in the stall hoping for safety with terror, gun shots, and sirens seemingly closing in on them.

The two teens build an unlikely friendship through shared trauma and trust. This is were The Fallout shines and the R rating helps the film, allowing for believable conversations resembling how teenagers talk to each and allowing the dialogue to not feel contrived and stiff.

In this friendship is also where Megan Park again shows restraint in her writing. While Vada and Mia do break some rules and turn to other coping mechanisms to forget their grief. The script never falls in to the easy tropes of severe drug and alcohol addiction for its drama. Allowing the story to feel more personal and raw.

The Fallout is not a story about overcoming grief, rather, a story about learning to live with it and carry on. With excellent writing, a great soundtrack, and stellar performances this movie is a great debut from an exciting screenwriter and director.

I give The Fallout 4 out of 5 stars and can’t wait to see what is next for Megan Parks. If you have watched the movie, share your thoughts!