Reverb

It is utterly heartbreaking and disturbing that almost every week I see and hear news about gun-related violence, particularly school mass shooting incidents. The unbearably sad part about this is, most of the victims are innocent. Some of them are teenagers excited for college, grade schoolers who are just starting to enjoy school and the company of their friends, and sometimes little innocent angels from preschool oblivious to the cruelty of the world. According to a recent article from The New York Times, there have been eight shooting that has taken place in different school and campuses around the states from January of 2019 to May 2019, where four people have been killed and seventeen wounded. This traumatizing experience and senseless loss of lives have been around for decades and seem like the cases just get even worse by the year. How much time does a mother mourn until another mother mourns for the death of her child who died in this kind of violence? Do we wait for time to dictate another tragedy before we act and spread awareness about this matter? You may not need to look that far because someone is already sending out a powerful message against gun violence. Her name Arsal Asal and her short film “Reverb” took me into the heart of a grieving mother.

“Reverb” is a student film project written and directed by Arsal Asal. This film is one of the most heartbreaking and emotionally heavy movies I have seen. From the perspective of one mother to another, it was honestly painful to watch. My heart gets torn into small pieces every time I see Vera, who is notably portrayed with heartfelt emotions by Sarah Wong Thompson. I felt her self-blame, anger, sadness, and hate towards almost everything. Though the story is fictional, director Arsal Asal captured the sad reality of going through this ordeal. An experience I, myself, don’t know if I’ll be able to handle. I also like that director Arsal Asal did not only focus on the heart-rending part of the experience she also focused on the healing process of Vera. She highlighted the coping mechanisms that every individual has when facing tough challenges in their life, especially with death. That wounds will heal in time but not at the same rate and procedure with others.

I also can’t help but highlight the timeliness of this film. It is something we need to see and share with the community and the whole world. I admire director Arsal Asal’s intuitive act of using her craft and passion for filmmaking in spreading awareness of this matter through this remarkably touching short film to be able to prevent this kind of activity in the future. It is the kind of movie where parents and other caring adults can see the results of irresponsible gun ownership and lack of communication within the family that often leads to this senseless act of violence and loss of lives.

This film is impressive not only with its quality, actors and story; it utmost impresses me with its director’s dedication and courageous mission to share her knowledge and awareness against gun violence. This movie is indeed a memorable and meaningful film I’d share in a heartbeat.