Blackbird

Blackbird

2012. Canada. Directed by Jason Buxton. In his small-town high school, Sean Randall is a solitary goth with a bent for Kafka and heavy metal. His only friend is the popular Deanna, who rides the same school bus. At night, they secretly exchange instant messages—until Deanna’s hockey-player boyfriend gets wind of the friendship and threateningly confronts Sean. In retaliation, Sean posts a menacing message online. In the wake of Columbine, the blog post is sufficient grounds for a raid on his house, and his father’s collection of unregistered hunting rifles cement the narrative that Sean was plotting a mass murder. The film follows Sean from handcuffs to courtroom to prison, through a nightmarish system that equates reprehensible yet rash words with actual violent crimes, and teenage alienation with psychopathic premeditation. Buxton’s thought-provoking feature debut resonates with current debates over gun control and juvenile justice, and paints an alarming picture of our culture of fear. 103 min.