Sundance 2021: 20 Films You Need To Know About

The soul-destroying directorial debut of Fran Kranz - aka the stoner from The Cabin in the Woods - Mass proves how explosive results can stem from the most simple, "basic" ingredients.

This drama, confined almost entirely to a single room, chronicles a meeting between two couples - one the parents of a school shooter (Reed Birney and Ann Dowd), the other the parents of a child killed by him (Jason Isaacs and Martha Plimpton).

It goes without saying that such delicate material requires enormous tonal control from both filmmaker and cast, and Mass is a sublimely calibrated drama which examines the unhealed wounds of families on both sides of an horrific tragedy.

The four leads are all superb, though it's Ann Dowd who runs ahead of the pack, adding yet another outstanding performance to her exceptional body of work.

Mass is awaiting distribution.