Coming to DVD and VOD today, Tuesday, September 3:
BEHIND THE BULLET
Director:
Heidi Yewman
World Premiere:
Slamdance 2019
Select Festivals:
GlobeDocs, Thin Line, Cinequest
About:
An exploration of the impact of gun violence from the perspective of those who used the weapon.
In Heidi Yewman’s thoughtful but somewhat unsatisfying project, she profiles four stories involving gun deaths or injuries. Though it’s not immediately clear until close to the end of the film, all four cases focus on individuals who pulled the trigger, in very different circumstances: gang violence, self-defense during a home invasion, accidental shooting due to unsecured home firearms, and unsuccessful suicide attempt. The latter is a late revelation; for most of the film’s running time, this thread is focused on the long process of Christen’s recovery from disfiguring facial wounds, with the circumstances behind them unstated. Not every thread feels as developed or interrogated as it might have been, and one, dealing with a child’s accidental killing of his younger brother, is particularly frustrating in its displacement of accountability to “God’s will.” While arguably providing an opportunity to reach audiences on both sides of the gun control debate by not actively proselytizing, the film’s near-avoidance of the issue lends an incomplete feel to the project as a whole.
