"The Fallout shows real pain, real feelings, real experiences. By including topics like sexual exploration, friendships, family, and mental illness, it brings in a lot of feelings and experiences that many teens today are struggling with." -- Bee Ahlers, 9th grade
Jenna Ortega and Maddie Ziegler star in The Fallout, a movie that sheds light on the impact a school shooting can have on the mental health of kids and teens. Set in Los Angeles, California, it shows a much-needed story to tell as there’s not much representation of a school shooting’s aftermath.
There’s a lot to unpack here, but before you continue reading, I want to issue a SPOILER WARNING.
Vada is a sixteen-year-old high school student who lives in LA with her mom, dad, and little sister. Jenna Ortega plays her part beautifully and portrays Vada’s emotions, personality, and pain as if she actually is Vada. The movie begins with her and her best friend, Nick, driving to school together, messing around, and doing regular teenage things. Around ten minutes into the movie, the shooting occurs, which is also when Vada meets Mia, played by Maddie Ziegler. Mia is an Instagram famous dancer, which is the last person Vada would be friends with. They hide in the stall with each other while gunshots go off and kids’ screams echo through the hallways, supporting each other during a terrifying experience.
There’s a lot to unpack here, but before you continue reading, I want to issue a SPOILER WARNING.
Vada is a sixteen-year-old high school student who lives in LA with her mom, dad, and little sister. Jenna Ortega plays her part beautifully and portrays Vada’s emotions, personality, and pain as if she actually is Vada. The movie begins with her and her best friend, Nick, driving to school together, messing around, and doing regular teenage things. Around ten minutes into the movie, the shooting occurs, which is also when Vada meets Mia, played by Maddie Ziegler. Mia is an Instagram famous dancer, which is the last person Vada would be friends with. They hide in the stall with each other while gunshots go off and kids’ screams echo through the hallways, supporting each other during a terrifying experience.
The movie didn’t have much build-up before the shooting, which in some way is considered the “main part” of the whole movie. But judging from the title alone, it is called “The Fallout” for a reason. They go into detail about how traumatic it is to have an experience like that, and how much it affects you as a human being.
As the movie progresses, you can see how worn down everyone is. Not just the people who witnessed death and terror, but the people around them watching them crumble. Nightmares come to Vada at night, with her waking up drenched in sweat and hyperventilating. She begins acting out more, doing drugs, drinking. This not only shows the anxiety and terror that she’s experiencing but also how fast things can go downhill, such as Vada’s drug and alcohol use to numb all of the negative feelings hiding inside. Vada and Mia form a close relationship because after all, they are and will always be the only ones who understand exactly what they both went through together. As their friendship begins to grow, Nick and Vada’s friendship begins to sink. The difference between Nick and Vada’s way of handling such horrible feelings has separated them immensely. Nick uses his pain and fear from the shooting to spread more and more awareness across the globe, whereas Vada falls into a deep pit of depression and anxiety. Vada’s little sister, Amelia (Millie for short), notices how much pain Vada is in, but doesn’t know what to do about it. Of course, any little sibling looks up to their older sibling. But more than ever, Millie doesn’t know how to help or even if she can help at all. She tries to act normal, do normal, annoying little sibling things, but Vada just seems to get angrier and angrier with her.
Vada’s sexuality is also a topic in this movie, which adds another realistic feeling in Vada’s story. Vada and Mia go out one night which results in a confusing scene where both of them kiss and wake up in the same bed the next morning. But, she also kisses Quinton, another boy who was hiding in the stall with her and Mia after he lost his brother in the shooting. This can be interpreted in different ways: maybe she’s just trying to figure out her sexuality, or maybe it’s something more than that. Including LGBTQ+ storylines definitely increases the audience, because we are all in need of more representation.
The movie ends sloppily, just like real life does. By the end of most movies, everything gets figured out, indicating a representation of the phrase, “All’s well that ends well,” which isn’t always true. Not everything will be solved in the end, and that’s okay. Unlike other movies, The Fallout ends with Vada having a panic attack. This ending stands out because it shows a real and accurate thing: that trauma doesn’t just “go away.” Trauma, especially from an event like what Vada went through, shows up throughout your life. It shows up in your dreams, wherever you go. You’ll have times when you’ll sink back into that moment and feel those exact feelings again, reliving your traumatic experiences. Trauma doesn’t go away. It always stays with you, even when you don’t want it to. There’s no way to get rid of it, but there are ways you can deal with it. You have to be mindful, notice what triggers it, know what to do in the moment, and take note of all of the little things that make a big difference.
We won’t experience everything the same as other people have, such as being a victim of a school shooting. But, we can recognize what people have been through. We can be there to support people we love when they need it.
The Fallout shows real pain, real feelings, real experiences. By including topics like sexual exploration, friendships, family, and mental illness, it brings in a lot of feelings and experiences that many teens today are struggling with. It feels good to watch something and be able to relate to it, feeling like you’re not alone. Because you aren’t alone. This movie shows real life in its most brutal and raw form, not sugarcoating anything, which is sometimes exactly what we need. After all, it is the reality we’re living in right now. We can’t hide away from real life. We have to live it.
As the movie progresses, you can see how worn down everyone is. Not just the people who witnessed death and terror, but the people around them watching them crumble. Nightmares come to Vada at night, with her waking up drenched in sweat and hyperventilating. She begins acting out more, doing drugs, drinking. This not only shows the anxiety and terror that she’s experiencing but also how fast things can go downhill, such as Vada’s drug and alcohol use to numb all of the negative feelings hiding inside. Vada and Mia form a close relationship because after all, they are and will always be the only ones who understand exactly what they both went through together. As their friendship begins to grow, Nick and Vada’s friendship begins to sink. The difference between Nick and Vada’s way of handling such horrible feelings has separated them immensely. Nick uses his pain and fear from the shooting to spread more and more awareness across the globe, whereas Vada falls into a deep pit of depression and anxiety. Vada’s little sister, Amelia (Millie for short), notices how much pain Vada is in, but doesn’t know what to do about it. Of course, any little sibling looks up to their older sibling. But more than ever, Millie doesn’t know how to help or even if she can help at all. She tries to act normal, do normal, annoying little sibling things, but Vada just seems to get angrier and angrier with her.
Vada’s sexuality is also a topic in this movie, which adds another realistic feeling in Vada’s story. Vada and Mia go out one night which results in a confusing scene where both of them kiss and wake up in the same bed the next morning. But, she also kisses Quinton, another boy who was hiding in the stall with her and Mia after he lost his brother in the shooting. This can be interpreted in different ways: maybe she’s just trying to figure out her sexuality, or maybe it’s something more than that. Including LGBTQ+ storylines definitely increases the audience, because we are all in need of more representation.
The movie ends sloppily, just like real life does. By the end of most movies, everything gets figured out, indicating a representation of the phrase, “All’s well that ends well,” which isn’t always true. Not everything will be solved in the end, and that’s okay. Unlike other movies, The Fallout ends with Vada having a panic attack. This ending stands out because it shows a real and accurate thing: that trauma doesn’t just “go away.” Trauma, especially from an event like what Vada went through, shows up throughout your life. It shows up in your dreams, wherever you go. You’ll have times when you’ll sink back into that moment and feel those exact feelings again, reliving your traumatic experiences. Trauma doesn’t go away. It always stays with you, even when you don’t want it to. There’s no way to get rid of it, but there are ways you can deal with it. You have to be mindful, notice what triggers it, know what to do in the moment, and take note of all of the little things that make a big difference.
We won’t experience everything the same as other people have, such as being a victim of a school shooting. But, we can recognize what people have been through. We can be there to support people we love when they need it.
The Fallout shows real pain, real feelings, real experiences. By including topics like sexual exploration, friendships, family, and mental illness, it brings in a lot of feelings and experiences that many teens today are struggling with. It feels good to watch something and be able to relate to it, feeling like you’re not alone. Because you aren’t alone. This movie shows real life in its most brutal and raw form, not sugarcoating anything, which is sometimes exactly what we need. After all, it is the reality we’re living in right now. We can’t hide away from real life. We have to live it.
