Eric LaRue is a hard watch, but not as a result of the admirable efforts of the director (Michael Shannon) and cast led by a brooding and irreparably damaged portrayal from Judy Greer. The movie covers the aftermath of small town  families in shambles after a school shooting resulting in the deaths of 3 children. The small town is shaken and the parents of the victims as well as the parents of the shooter attempt to cope with the aftermath in different ways. Greer plays Janice LaRue, the mother of the teen who killed 3 of his classmates in cold blood. 

 

This premise is depressing and while it attempts a handful of interesting character studies and magnifies the cascading effects of one individual's horrific actions on many others, it doesn’t deliver on any satisfying conclusions or revelations, but that is likely by design. The dread and doom looming over the characters is seemingly inescapable and they just have to live with the rippling effects of a tragedy. 

 

Shannon creates visuals with his direction that suit the dark tone well, but there were only a few standout frames, with most of the movie living in the drab blandness of the small town. Greer gives an impressive performance that I’m sure drained an incredible amount of energy and emotion from her. Her ability to maintain the dour mindset for the length of filming is remarkable and her pain radiates through the screen and brings chills to your spine at times. 

 

In addition to Greer in the lead, support is offered from Allison Pill,  Alexander Skarsgård and Paul Sparks. Skarsgård plays Janice’s husband and Eric LaRue’s father, a religious man who appears to be using a new church as a distraction and cop out from the reality of his son being a killer. Sparks serves up an Evangelical Tim Robinson Energy, as priest turned amateur therapist, trying to promote forgiveness from the victims’ mothers to Janice, but to no avail. Pill’s character reminds me of Marcia Gay Garden’s character in The Mist (if you’re aware of that reference). She is unlikable and seems to want to stealthily seduce Skarsgård through the guise of a shared religious experience at their church.

 

Spoiler alert: The movie lacks a satisfying resolution. The absence of this may be meant to mirror the lack of peace to be found by the characters, but as an audience member you’re left wondering: What was the point of this anti-cathartic journey? Michael Shannon’s directorial debut tackles one of the darkest subjects imaginable with skillful and effective direction and a standout Judy Greer performance, but I question the necessity of this film adaptation of the small stage production it’s based on.