“Chilling. Candid and heartbreaking . . . depicts the day-to-day normalization of the unspeakable.”—Guy Lodge, Variety
Bulletproof explores the complexities of violence in schools by assessing the strategies employed to prevent it. The film observes the longstanding rituals that take place in and around American schools: homecoming parades, basketball practice, morning announcements, and math class.
Unfolding alongside the scenes are a collection of new traditions: lockdown drills, teacher firearms training, met detector screenings, and school safety trade shows. On the more holistic side, more compassionate programs incorporating mindfulness, meditation and de-escalation of anger have been employed.
Bulletproof asks what these rituals reflect back at us, looking beyond immediate causes and response to mass shooting in a cinematic meditation on the array of forces that shape the culture of violence in the United States. A selection of the SXSW Film Festival. 2020, U.S., DCP, 84 minutes. Recommended for 15+.